From the Traveling Roths Archives: Europe 2003

Italy, et al., March/April 2003

29 March, Saturday, 9:31am EST

JR and I are sitting outside baggage claim in Atlanta, waiting for Joe, Jennifer’s dad, to bring us a car. We flew from Raleigh-Durham to here on the 7 a.m. flight, and sat in first class. Flight time: 57’ 33”.

Our flight to Milan is at 5:40 this evening, so we have some time to kill. We could’ve taken MARTA into town, but we would’ve been limited in our travel to where the train goes. I don’t even want to think about the busses. After riding in first class, the shock and awe of a MARTA bus would probably kill us. We’re also carrying-on all our luggage, so Joe loaning us a car is the best solution.

Now for some background on this trip. Joe gave us some buddy passes on Delta last fall as a sort of housewarming gift. In November we turned in our passes for tickets to Milan for $304 each. Over the course of the past four months, we’ve done very little formal planning for this trip. About a week ago we bought Eurail passes good for five days of first class train travel in Italy, Switzerland, and France. We know we’re flying into and out of Milan, and we have a few places we’d like to see, but so far that’s all the agenda we have.

Complicating matters slightly is that the U.S. started invading Iraq a little over a week ago, and there is currently a fair amount of anti-American sentiment about, particularly in France. So maybe we’re not as anxious to go there as we could be. JR and I always try to blend in wherever we go, but short of buying a new wardrobe, luggage, and possibly a haircut in each destination, it’s hard to look completely non-foreign.

Once again my parents have come to our house to stay with the kids, just like they did in 2001 when we went to France. This time it should be a little easier since the kids are in school, and we’re not in the midst of selling our house, moving, and finding new jobs. Tristan is almost 4 ½, and Zoë turned 3 last month. They were half asleep this morning when we left at 5:30, but I think they have a good idea what’s going on.

If we go to Europe again in another two years, perhaps the kids will be old enough to come with us, provided they can carry their own luggage. We’re taking them to Albuquerque around Memorial Day for Jared (Jennifer’s brother’s) wedding, and that trip, complete with a plane change in each direction, should be a good initiation for them. They’ve both flown before, ten flights for TR and four for ZR, but all of those were before TR turned two, so needless to say, neither kid remembers flying at all. We’ll have to pay for their seats now, but at least we’re guaranteed they get seats, and that is worth it.

Today in Atlanta I’d like to get tacos at Taqueria del Sol, JR wants to find some more comfortable traveling clothes, and since I think we (probably I) left all the travel books at home, it would be a good idea to get another book on Italy, at least.

4:30pm

Joe loaned us his days-old ’03 Audi Quattro TT convertible, and JR & I drove to Phipps Plaza so that she could buy a more comfortable skirt. We ate at Taqueria del Sol, and it was awesome, as usual. We got dessert at Star Provisions, my favorite gourmet shop in Atlanta. From there we went to REI where JR got some high-tech travel clothing. After that we drove to Graham (JR’s mom’s boyfriend’s) house in Virginia Highlands where we took a power nap for about an hour.

Back to the airport, parking Joe’s car in the economy lot, past the TSA (Thousands Standing Around) security screeners whom I believe we woke up as we were waiting for our bags to come through the machine. So far we haven’t been singled out for any extra security attention, which is surprising with the war and all.

We’re sitting at gate E32, looking at what I hope will be our plane, N1610D.

5:05pm

No word yet, but lots of people in the gate area. Don’t know what kind of plane this is, but it doesn’t look new, like the 777, with a video screen at every seat.

5:26pm

Yeah baby! We’re sitting on the plane, in First Class, sipping champagne, mulling over our menu choices. I’m going with marinated pan seared halibut accented with Thai green curry sauce, offered with cilantro jasmine rice and stir fried vegetables. JR’s going with the grilled Porterhouse, enhanced by balsamic rosemary sauce, served with a rice and vegetable medley.

The next row of seats in front of us is so far away that I literally (yes Andy, literally) can’t reach it without getting out of my seat. These seats recline with power everything; foot rests, lumbar support, the works. We have video screens, individual reading lights, and little care packages that I haven’t opened yet. This is totally the way to travel. “More Champagne, Mr. Roth?” “More of everything!” Maybe that’ll be my motto for this trip.

The only downside to all this luxury is that I don’t want to sleep through it, even though I should. Milan is six hours ahead, plus daylight saving time begins tonight in Europe, so the jet lag factor is –7 hours. I’d like to believe that since I became a parent four + years ago, the effects of sleep deprivation on me are minimal, but even so, losing seven hours is significant.

Wheels up at 6:16pm EST. Dinner was pretty good. I watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on my video screen, ate my ice cream sundae, and then slept off and on for a few hours.

30 March, Sunday, 09:22 Central European Daylight Time/ 2:22am Eastern Standard Time

We’re probably half an hour away from landing, and just finished breakfast. We haven’t exactly decided what we’re doing today, but we may go to one of the lakes, Como or Maggiore. Como sounds nicer, in the books, but Maggiore is on the way to Brig (Switzerland), which we’ll probably see tomorrow. Right now we’re figuring out the trip to Milano Centrale train station from the airport.

12:45

We got €150 from the ATM, (€1 ~ $1) and bought tickets for the Malpensa Shuttle bus, and one way, second-class train tickets to Stresa on Laggo Maggiore for €17 for both of us. We took the bus to Milano Centrale, a huge, busy, train station, built by Mussolini in fascist-style architecture, and there JR got a panino (sandwich) and a Coke Light, Europe’s answer to Diet Coke, and change for the restroom.

We’re on the train to Stresa. The plan is to stay in Stresa tonight, then go to Zermatt, Switzerland, via Brig. We’re not sure if we have to come back to Milano or not to go to Brig, and then after that if we have to come back to Milano, or if we can go to other points in Switzerland.

We’re sitting in the upper deck of a two-story second-class train car. I have my window open because so far it seems like Italians like it warm and stuffy, much like their French counterparts. It’s probably around 60°F (16°C) today with a layer of high, thin clouds. Springtime (primavera) seems to be about 1-2 weeks behind us in North Carolina. We’ve seen lots of yellow forsythia and pink cherry blossoms. I don’t know the weather forecast, but I’m hoping for sunny and warm. I expect it’ll be colder in the Alps.

22:34

We exited the train at Stresa at 13:41, and walked down to Lago Maggiore. The lake is huge with three large islands in the middle. I imagine you can see mountains in the background when it’s a little less hazy. We walked past the hotel on the main street where Hemmingway wrote A Farewell to Arms. After a little meandering, found a hotel listed in our Rick Steves’ Italy 2003 guidebook. It’s Hotel Saini on Via Garibaldi, two blocks off Piazza Matteoti. After negotiating in French, we got a nice room with a double bed, TV, mini fridge, and private bath for €90, including all taxes and breakfast. We went back out toured the town. We got our first gelati and it was awesome! I had zabajone and nutella di gelato. JR had cappuccino et crema. We scoped out some potential restaurants for dinner. We went down to the waterfront and saw all the tourists, nearly all of them Italian. I don’t think we’ve seen any Americans yet, and that’s good. We didn’t come to Italy to see Americans.

We headed back to the hotel and took a nap for about two hours. We got up and bathed, and headed out to dinner. We chose the _____________. JR started with the insalata caprese (tomato and fresh mozzarella salad) and I had the prosciutto e melone (ham and melon). Both were very similar to the same dishes one would find in the states, only these were noticeably fresher. We also got a 1 liter carafe of vino rosso da tavolo (red table wine) for about €8. For our entrees, JR got pasta in creamy pesto, and I had spaghetti Bolognese. JR’s was really good, and mine was OK. I prefer Sal’s restaurant in Durham for Bolognese anything, but maybe my tastes have been corrupted. For dessert JR had the profiteroles (cream puffs in chocolate mousse) and I had a poached pear in a red wine-sugar sauce. Both excellent. We also had a bottle of cold water without gas. The whole meal was €47 including service and tax.

We went back to the hotel for a good night of horizontal sleep.

31 March, Monday, 09:57

We’re sitting at the train station in Domodossola on the Italian/Swiss border. We woke up at 07:30 and had breakfast included in the cost of our room at the hotel. Croissants, packaged toast, and fresh cappuccino –the best I’ve ever had.

We walked to the train station and got our Eurail passes validated. We got on the 09:12 train to Brussels, Belgium, even though we’re getting off in Brig. Almost immediately you could start to see the Alps just jump out of the ground. We had to stop at this train station to change engines. The Italian engines run on 3kV, but the Swiss are 15kV. The Italian engine comes to a point on the tracks where the overhead wires carry no voltage, and the train coasts into the station and stops. From there a Swiss engine comes in from the front of the train and pulls the Italian engine off, and then comes back and connects to the passenger cars and proceeds. Various conductors, police, and immigration/customs officials have come by to look at our tickets and passports, and ask where we’re going and how long we’re staying.

20:36

We got off the train in Brig and got 100 Swiss Francs (~$72). We stowed our suitcase in a locker for 4F/24 hours and got some food at the train station grocery. We went into town for a few minutes to look around. Then we got back on the smaller gauge train in first class.

When the conductor came through, he informed us that our passes were no good, and that we’d have to buy tickets. Fortunately we had the 64F on us. There were two others on the train who were also under the impression that Eurail passes were good on that train.

We went through half a dozen alpine towns, going steadily uphill with the help of cogs on a center track (like rack and pinion) and in about an hour got to Zermatt.

It was noticeably cooler, and there were lots of skiers. The town allows no gasoline-powered vehicles, so there were lots of mini taxis, electric busses, and even some horse-drawn carriages. In a lot of ways it reminded us of Park City, Utah – pricey, and more hype than substance. Most of the places were closed for the Swiss version of siesta for a few hours around noon, so we walked to the end of the town to get a better view of the Matterhorn, the whole reason we came here. It was mostly shrouded in clouds. We looked into taking a cable car up the mountain somewhat, but for 60F each, it didn’t seem worth it.

We walked around some more, and eventually got some baguette sandwiches for 4.50F each. JR got some postcards, and we picked up some chocolate and yogurt at CoOp, the supermarket. Jennifer can’t pass up a good crepe, so when she found a creperie, she went in and got a sugar and lemon crepe, which we shared. Do I need to note that it was good?

We bought tickets in advance for the return trip to Brig, this time for 34F each for second class. Go figure! It cost more for the return trip in second class than the trip up in first. I think the train staff assigns ticket prices at their whimsy. I think we both slept some on the way back to Brig.

From the information kiosk in the train station we found a hotel in town, and made a reservation. We walked up the Bahnhofstrasse (train station street) to the Hotel de Londres. We got a double-bed room with a bath, three windows, a TV, minibar and a view of at least two snow-capped mountains for 90 something francs or Euros or something, I’m not sure. After unloading our junk, we went on a quest for some Swiss food. Nearly everything had closed, and this place seems really quiet. We decided on “Walliser-Weinstube” at 9 Bahnhofstrasse. JR got the Käsefondue and I had Walliser Steak mit Pommes Frites. I think it was pork with ham and melted cheese, and fries. It was good, anyway. JR’s cheese fondue was excellent. The place got progressively busier, all locals from what I could tell, and most of them smoked. Our waitress had responsibility for the whole place, but did OK despite how busy she was. JR had frozen custard with Grand Mariner, and coffee for dessert. The bill was 68.7F and I left 3.3F tip, not knowing anything about Swiss tipping customs. I hope I didn’t insult the waitress.

We headed back to the hotel since everything is closed, and just started to give tomorrow’s agenda a first thought. Right now we’re thinking maybe Geneva or Lausanne. It’s 9:16pm, 2:16 Mebane time, so we need to wait to call home so the kids will be there. They weren’t there, so we left a message.

1 April, Tuesday.

We’re on the train toward Geneva. Right now we’re thinking we’ll get off at Lausanne and spend most of the day there. Then we’ll take a train to Geneva, and from there take an overnight train to Firenze (Florence). It looks like we’ll be bypassing France, but since we’re not meeting any friends there, and most of the places our train goes through we’ve already been to or seen places similar to, we don’t feel bad about not spending time there. We’re not too keen on going to a few, same places repeatedly as some people do. There’s a whole lot of the world we haven’t seen yet, so who has time to repeat?

I don’t know if this is a recent development, but I’m seeing more and more places where smoking is not permitted. Like on this train, for example. It’s kind of surprising because it seems like everybody smokes here. It’s still very prevalent in a lot of public places though, like restaurants. Maybe the Europeans are a few years behind us on that one.

We’re just passing Roche, between Brig and Geneva, and everything is now in French, where it had been in German. Even the conversations on the train that were in German are now French. I wonder where they draw the dividing line?

17:30

We’re sitting at a park near Lake Geneva in Lausanne. When we got into town we stowed our rolling suitcase in a locker again, and headed into town. Lausanne seems a lot like Paris, only much, much smaller. It’s a busy place with lots of stores and people, and everything is in French. We found a restaurant called “Le Cyrano” inside a mini mall. JR had some kind of country salad, and I had some kind of pork chop with a light tomato sauce and cheese, elongated tater-tots (röti, perhaps?) and braised fennel. It was just right. From there we went to the supermarket/department store (CoOp again). There we bought 500g of Frigor chocolate for Shelley, my brother Andy’s wife, because I think I recall that’s her favorite and it’s really hard to find in the states. We bought some other, store-brand chocolate for ourselves for snacking. The stores in Switzerland have an amazing variety of chocolate, and it’s almost hard to choose. We walked around some more, stopping for some pâte a choux (cream puff) for JR, and more Lipton Ice Tea Pesche for me. Then we found the park. We’ve been sitting here for at least 90 minutes, JR sleeping most of the time.

Watching the people in the park, you’d be hard-pressed to figure out where you were if you didn’t already know. Lots of kids from infants up to about age 12, usually with a parent or two, scooters, bikes, and soccer balls. It seems like most of the boys, even the tiny ones, are wearing backwards ball caps. Nearly everyone is white, and strangely, almost nobody is smoking. If this were an American park, I suspect you’d see more kids with helmets, and perhaps a football, Frisbee, or softball or two in the field. The weather is perfect; probably 65-70°F, bright blue sky, and the leaves are just starting to come out. The crowds are thinning out as it gets later, but it’s still a busy place, especially for a Tuesday afternoon.

Before we left the train station this morning, we paid for a private sleeping compartment on tonight’s train from here to Firenze. That part probably cost as much, if not more than a hotel room, but the rail passes cover the rest of the train ride. At least we wake up at our destination and don’t have to spend all our waking hours on a train, something JR doesn’t enjoy. We want to see the Cinque Terre one day, and the food towns of Parma, Modena, and Reggio-Emiglia the other. Friday we’ll get back to Milano and do the bulk of our souvenir shopping. I think we’ll need an additional bag or box or something, as our luggage has been nearly full from the start, and we’ve hardly bought any souvenirs yet.

21:22

We’re sitting on Platform 4 of the Lausanne station, waiting for the EuroNight train from somewhere (maybe Geneva?) to Rome, stopping at least in Lausanne, for us to get on, and in Firenze to let us off.

We walked down to Lake Geneva and took what I hope will be some really cool photos, provided our film wasn’t screwed up by the security in Atlanta who shoved it through the x-ray machine, and left it in there while they chatted. After that we went back in the general vicinity of the train station, and got a kebab and coke for 10F from a food stand right across from the station. I would’ve called it a Gyro, but it was top-notch none-the-less.

We found an Internet café attached to the second floor of a McDonalds, and for 4F we got 30 minutes of Internet time. I e-mailed Dad, Andy (who responded while we were online, and thus got a response from me) and my boss and a coworker. JR checked her school mail, and even then we had time to spare, so we surfed Rick Steves’ site (www.ricksteves.com) to see if there was anything we’d missed in Lausanne.

JR got a coffee at McD, violating my no American food policy, but at least the Swiss McD coffee was much better than say, the Mebane, North Carolina McD coffee. No surprise there.

We went back to the station to collect our pull-along, and got rid of our last few Swiss francs; water for JR, and chocolate (Cailler’s milk chocolate with hazelnuts, Swiss, of course) for me. Once we’re in Italy it’s back to the Euro, so our francs change back into Monopoly money. Up to the platform to wait.

22:37

We’re in our tiny private room on the train. I’m in the top bunk, JR in the bottom. The room is ~5’ front to back, 3’ of which (or less) are the width of the beds. The room is about 6.5’ wide. There’s a little sink, a chamber pot and flushing mechanism, a mirror, some hangers, and lights. We gave our passports and tickets to the conductor who will deal with customs on our behalf overnight. We get up ~ 06:00 and have breakfast included. Need to sleep now. Only 7+ hours until wake-up call.

2 April, Wednesday

Well, sleeping on a train is yet another one of those things that sounds much cooler than it actually is. The tiny little room was warm, even in early April. We had the window, which opens from the top, open, and tried to have the shade, which opens from the bottom, closed, but it flapped and made too much noise. So the choice was hot and quiet(er) or loud and more temperate. We tried an intermediate position, but it was less than ideal. JR thinks she slept about an hour. I slept more, but I woke up often.

We woke ourselves up at 06:00, and got cleaned up and dressed as best we could in the small space. The conductor brought us our included breakfast of cappuccino, croissant, toast, jellies, butter, and orange juice.

By 06:50 it was time to exit the train in Firenze. We decided to skip this city in favor of the Cinque Terre. We hopped on a 07:10 train to Pisa, and from there we’ll get on a train to La Spezia.

22:21

We hung out in Pisa for about an hour, not seeing the leaning tower, and got on the EuroStar fast train to La Spezia. It took about 40 minutes to get there where we got on a “milk-run” train to Vernazza, Terre Quattro of the Cinque Terre (land four of the ‘five lands’).

Vernazza is beautiful. There’s a small natural harbor with a little town around it, and all up the hillside are grapevines, olive and lemon trees. The town has a fishing fleet of about three boats, and the town’s restaurants buy pretty much everything they catch. We found a private room with a view and a private bath right off the Piazza Marconi, right at the harbor, for €60. We were trying to get a room at Albergo Barbara, but they were booked up. On the way out of there, we bumped into the proprietor of FrancaMaria (Maria?) and told her we needed a room for two people for one night, and she offered us a choice of €60, 70, and 75 rooms. We went with the cheapest, and even so, it has everything we need, and it’s clean.

If anyone reading this decides to come here, and you should, know that everybody has rooms to rent, many with excellent views. You can ask at just about any business in the town, and they either have rooms, or have a friend that does.

We ate lunch at a bar on the main street. JR had a focaccia sandwich with cheese and prosciutto, and I had Pizza Margherita (tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, named in honor of Queen Margherita and looking like the Italian flag, red, green, and white.) Both excellent and cheap, and definitely my kind of meal.

Afterward we went to one of the town’s two gelaterias for gelato. I had the local specials; a zabajone and crema, and JR can’t remember what she had. They were both awesome, and made me really wish we could get this at home because it is so good.

We wandered around some more, and then went back to our little room for a nap to make up for the night on the train.

After about probably three hours, we got up and went out again. The tour groups of German students and older Americans who probably came on buses this morning were gone, and a lot of the shops were closed or were closing. We walked a little way on the trail that led to Corniglia (Town 3). It was small and steep, leading through vineyards and up past an old castle, high on a rocky hillside that was now a restaurant/bar overlooking the Ligurian Sea. For the physically fit adventurous, you can start at one of the end towns and hike through to the other end of the Cinque Terre in about 4-5 hours. This was part of that trail.

After admiring the view for a minute, we headed back down, and decided on Trattoria de Sandro, 60 Via Roma, for dinner. Unfortunately, we were given menus in English, and seated next to a young couple from California, who had been seated next to an older couple from Canada. We didn’t interact with the other English speakers, but the chick from California was really pissing me off with her ignorant, loud discussion of political affairs. She was parroting the same left-wing views prevalent in the mainstream US media and in Europe. It was just grating. We tried to ignore her as much as possible and focus on the food.

JR started with the Insalata Caprese (fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and herbs) and I had the octopus salad, which was perfect. Very tender octopus with fresh rosemary and Italian parsley, in olive oil with a splash of lemon juice from the local lemons. For the entrée, JR had the prawns, which were gigantic. They looked like half-sized lobster! I had the mixed fried fish plate, which included calamari (squid), shrimp, and fresh-caught anchovies. A note on anchovies. Fresh anchovies are nothing like those salty, oily things you get out of the can in the states. These were tiny fresh fish, gutted with their heads removed, lightly battered and fried in olive oil. They were completely un-fishy, and could be eaten whole, bones and all. We had a bottle of the vino da tavolo bianco (white table wine) made locally and bottled exclusively for this restaurant.

For dessert JR had the panna cotta, and I had the tiramisu, both perfect. We also had coffee, which we could call “espresso”, or more incorrectly, “expresso” in the states. It’s a tiny little cup that would appear more natural in my daughter’s tea set than on a restaurant table, about half full with wicked strong coffee. It was great though.

After that we headed back to the bar where we had eaten lunch, got two beers (Moretti) and sat down at a computer to catch up on our e-mail. After that, we called again to check up on everyone, but the kids were still at school. There seems to be some contention as to whether daylight saving time has occurred in the states yet. I thought it was a little after 4pm Eastern time, but Mom said it was a little after 3, and that she thought DST started around Fathers Day in June. Anyway, we wrapped up the call and headed back to the room.

Its 23:07 locally, and I’d like to try to talk to the kids a little later. There’s no phone in this room, so I have to walk to what seems to be the only two public phones in the town, at the foot of the steps coming from the train station.

I went back to the phone at 23:30 (5:30 or 4:30 eastern) and tried to call Andy’s house, where the family is to be eating dinner, but no one answered, so I left another message.

3 April, Thursday, 09:15

The plan for today, so far; if the weather’s crappy, we’ll skip the other four terre of the Cinque Terre, head back to La Spezia, and from there get a train to somewhere in Emilia-Romagna. If the weather isn’t crappy (we can’t tell yet since the single frosted-glass window in our room is about nine feet up, so the sky is just a concept to us right now) we’ll want to see Manarola, town 2.

11:30

We took the train to Manarola. The weather started out a little sunny, but now is cloudy, chilly, and windy with a little rain. In our brief walk around the town, we decided that it is enough like Vernazza that we didn’t need to stay long. The prices here (and in Vernazza) are surprisingly cheap. We got two cappucini for about €2.20 total, and later picked up a focaccia sandwich (one of my new favorite foods) for about €2.

We’re waiting for the train back to La Spezia, from where we hope to be able to get a train to Parma. Ideally we’ll find a hotel there to park our stuff, then visit the other nearby towns, returning to Parma in the evening.

There are a lot of school groups here in the mornings. Today it seems to be Italian kids, when yesterday it was Germans. In both cases, the kids were pretty diverse looking. If you didn’t hear them speak, you probably couldn’t tell where they were from based on their looks.

13:00

We waited a long time for the train to La Spezia, but finally got here. We had to walk past four Italian cops and two large drug-sniffing dogs on our way from the tracks to the station, and then back to the tracks. There aren’t any trains from here to Milano, so right now we’re thinking we’ll go to Parma, maybe eat lunch there, and then go to Milano, staying two nights and leaving tomorrow, Friday, our last full day, less frenetic. We have a hotel in mind near the Milano Centrale station, and we probably should call ahead from Parma for a reservation.

21:00

The train to Parma took forever. It was a second-class regional train, so it was slow and made a lot of stops. More than two hours. Fortunately, not long after we arrived there was an InterCity (fast) train to Milano Centrale. We grabbed some sandwiches at the station; prosciutto de Parma of course, and drinks and got on the train. First class again, thankfully, and this train only took an hour.

Once back in Milano we took the Metro (subway), which is very similar to the Paris version. We found the train to the Duomo (church), and got off at that station. (Line 3, Direction ________, stop ‘Duomo’). We walked up out of the Metro and almost didn’t see the duomo because scaffolding occludes the entire front. We walked all the way around before breaking out the guidebook and consulting the map. We found Hotel Speronari, and got a room with a double bed and no bath for two nights for €73 per. It’s about a block from the duomo, and is safe, clean, and quiet.

We dropped our stuff and headed out to the neighborhood. We checked out this huge department store right on the duomo’s piazza called “La Rinescente”. We’re looking for a nice outfit for ZR for the wedding next month. I want to get TR and XR (nephew AleXander) little soccer uniforms. I also have some wine to search for for my boss and a co-worker. We didn’t buy anything yet, but went searching for dinner. We found a pizzeria about a block off the piazza called Ristorante Dogana, which means “Customs Restaurant”’ and the food was surprisingly correct, despite the fact that were seemingly in the Enlish Only section. Not surprisingly, we were the only ones even trying to get by in Italian. The rube next to us ordered a cappuccino after his meal, just like a tourist. (To Italians, cappuccino is a breakfast drink, and never ordered after ~10:30am.) Anyway, it made me feel better about myself.

JR ordered gnocchi in saffron sauce with spinach and peck (a kind of ham). I got pizza quattro staggione, which means ‘four seasons’. It has a different topping on each quadrant of the pizza; prosciutto, olives, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms. It was about 14” (35cm) across, had a thin, chewy crust with little bits of wood ash on the underside, something you can only get from a real wood-fired oven. It was perfect, and what all Neapolitan pizze should aspire to be. For dessert JR had some kind of lemon cake, and I had chocolate cake that tasted strangely like bubble gum. JR had a caffee latte, and I had caffe (espresso). From there we went to the gelateria directly across from the duomo. JR got lemon and frutti di bosco (berries), and I had panna cotta and pistaccio, which tasted exactly like eating the roasted nuts.

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From there we headed back to the hotel and set our alarm for 23:30 so we could call and try to talk to the kids again. We woke up at 23:30 (4:30pm EST) and called, but once again, no one was there. We reset the alarm for another hour, and tried then, this time getting through. TR still talks about wanting to get an action figure of talking Woody the Cowboy (from Toy Story) with a pull string. ZR talked about her day, and her plans to take a bath and afterward have a treat. They were both busy playing outside, and seemed like their usual happy selves.

4 April, Friday, Milano

We woke up and hit the street. There is a chain bakery two doors down from the hotel, and they were packed. We got some kind of pastry there. (As an aside, that bakery shares the enclosed courtyard with our room, so pretty much all the time you can smell goodies baking from our open window.) We walked around, ending up near Sforza Castle. There we found a vendor with soccer stuff, so we got TR a Team Italy soccer uniform (Size 6) and XR a Team Italy jersey (size 2). We walked some more and found a children’s clothing store, du pareil au même (www.dupareilaumeme.com), kind of like an Italian Gap, and also busy with Italian women buying clothes for their children. We got ZR a spring/summer outfit consisting of a green top with a bird on it, and a reversible skirt. We found another soccer-stuff vendor and got a pair of soccer shorts for XR. We walked some more, and JR found a women’s clothing store (not like there aren’t a million of them in this city) where she bought some tights for herself.

Wandering around, we passed an enoteca (wine bar) and went in to get two bottles of Montepulciano, one for my boss, and the other for a co-worker. I’m hoping the stuff I chose, a mid-priced selection, is decent.

For lunch we decided on a food cart on the edge of a park, probably about 1-2 km north of the duomo. JR got a prosciutto and mozzarella panino, and I got a prosciutto and fontina focaccia sandwich. Seriously, for a one-week trip in Italy, I’m pretty sure I could eat the fresh sandwiches like these at every meal and not tire of them.

Following the entrances to the metro stations, we made our way back to the duomo. From there to the hotel to dump our stuff. Then back out, and back to “La Rinescente” department store. There we bought a duffle bag to put out newly acquired goodies in for the flight home, a leather belt for my dad, a leather eyeglass case and a Polish porcelain duck for my mom, and a set of four Italian cheese knives for me. JR bought herself a leather wallet, some socks, a key chain, as well as a wallet for her mom.

We went back to the hotel to dump all this stuff, and nap. After an hour or so, JR went back out to hunt for shoes, and stayed in to write and get organized. When she came back, we left again, heading south on the main road. This time JR actually found some shoes, and she was very excited. They look to me kind of like a cross between indoor soccer shoes and bowling shoes, but they’re similar to what I’ve seen many fashionable Milanese women wearing, so they’re cool.

We found a place to eat called “Dai Dam Secondo” on a side street off that main north/south road. We were the fist patrons in this evening, as it was only 20:00 or so. I got the seafood antipasto, which consisted of mussels, squid, octopus, and shrimp. For the entrée, JR had a kebab platter, with gyro meat, couscous, fries, and grilled flatbread. I had the vitello coteletta Milanese (Milan-style veal cutlet) which at home would probably be described as, “chicken-fried veal” and fries with ketchup and mayo (European-style.) We got a nice €10 bottle of Lambrusco, and a bottle of mineral water without gas. For dessert we had the house special, which was a small coconut flavored cake, and an almost Greek shredded filo and honey thing. JR had another cappuccino, the turista.

One last stop at the duomo to the gelateria. Tiramisu and crema for JR, nocciola (hazelnut) and stracciatela (choc chip) for me. Then back to the hotel to pack and bathe. The flight leaves at 11:45 Saturday, we we’ll get up around 07:45, and leave by 08:45. Should be plenty of time.

5 April, Saturday, 17:50 CEDT/10:50am EST

We’re just crossing over land, Newfound land, Canada actually. We’ve been flying for about five hours, 45 minutes. The day has pretty much gone according to plan. We got up, finished packing, took the metro to Milano Centrale (€1 each) and then the Malpensa Shuttle for the 50-minute ride to the airport (€4.50 each). We checked in, checking our pull-along bag, and spending our last euros on two more panini, and some peach iced tea. We found the duty-free shop, and it was impressive. We found Frigor chocolate, just like the kind we’d been carrying with us since Switzerland, plus some Milka for Andy, some Limoncello di Sorrento (Italian lemon liquor) for us, a huge bar of Swiss chocolate for my coworkers, some Swiss chocolate coins in a cardboard bank for the kids, a model airplane for TR, and a colored pencil kit for ZR.

We got all the way to the checkout where the clerk told us that our standby boarding passes were no good, and that’d we’d need assigned seats to buy stuff there. So we left the duty-free shop dejected, and made our way to gate B12. There we checked in and instantly got real boarding passes with seat assignments (6C and 6E), so I hauled ass back to the duty-free shop and re-collected all the stuff that someone had just finished restocking for us. I went to the checkout, smiling broadly at the checkout chick who had denied us earlier, paid for our stuff, and hauled ass once again back to the gate. Boarding had already begun in the organized fashion of “everybody at once.” Kind of disappointing that the higher caste afforded us by our first class seats was of no value in avoiding the proletariat. I want those people to watch me get on ahead of them, and then when they finally get on, have to walk past me again and watch me drink my champagne while they contemplate the next ten hours shoehorned into a steerage-class seat my three year old would find constricting, while their fleshy-flyer neighbors overflow the armrest boundaries and bump them at the slightest movement. Well, there’s one more flight today, from ATL to RDU, and provided there are enough seats for us to be in first class, we may get our chance, until we too return the world of the economy traveler.

Toothless

After 7.75 years of never losing a tooth, Tristan has lost four within a span of four weeks. The Tooth Fairy has her own reserved parking at our house, and will probably have to leave Tristan a 1099-MISC too.

TR's upper central incisors fell out on their own, while the lower two had to be pulled, since he developed what's commonly known as "Shark Teeth", with his adult teeth coming in as a second row behind his intact baby teeth.

Hopefully if that happens again, the Tooth Fairy will leave us $125 per tooth. It's expensive to get your boy de-Sharked.

Soccer. Again. Already?

Yup, it's time for soccer season once again. Tuesday was the THD Strikers first practice, and in the 92 degree heat, none the less. It figures. On February 1st, when the previous season started, it was literally freezing, and then comfortable by the end of the season. Looks like this season will go the other way. It'll be nice out by November when the season ends.

The team looks pretty different. There are four kids returning, and six new kids, including one Zoe Roth, who is now in the Under 8 (U8) division. Practice runs through August, and the games start in September.

(I didn't get a good picture of Zoe before the camera battery went dead. Next time)

Exporing Manhattan: The West Village

Monday:

Got up at 7, and met Bill downstairs at 8. Class didn’t start until 9, and it was only a few blocks away, so there was no need to hurry. We explored Midtown a little, then eventually decided on a place for breakfast. I ordered a ham, egg, and cheese on an onion bagel and a black coffee, but got ham, egg and cheese on a Kaiser roll, and a coffee with cream. Yuck! Who would put cold cream in hot coffee? I exaggerate. It wasn’t that bad.

We found the Oracle Training Center at 540 Madison Avenue, got badged, and went up. Class was a full 24 people or so, and they only had computers for every other person, which I found extremely odd based on a) Oracle’s bottom line revenues, and b) the fee for the two day course could have in itself bought two computers for each person. Minor annoyance, I guess. The class was really good, and right away Bill and I were picking up some really useful stuff that that we’d be able to incorporate when we got back. We also realized that the Discoverer Administrator training is something we should’ve considered too, as it was being taught in the same classroom Wednesday through Friday.

We had an hour for lunch, so we walked around, blowing most of that time not really finding anything, until we came to Smiler’s, just around the corner from our training. It was a good sized deli with a huge salad bar. Chicken Parm Hero for me, since I knew this town has a pretty high standard for them. It was fine. Nothing amazing. We sat in the upstairs dining room right on the corner of 54^th street and Madison Avenue.

Back to class for the remainder of the afternoon. On the way back to the hotel, I stopped in a gift shop and found a cool “I ♥NY” shirt, but written in Chinese, for Zoë. I also got something cool for Dad, that I can’t mention here, and some postcards. I want to get Tristan a miniature Statue of Liberty, because he was really admiring them in Chinatown a few weeks ago, but they didn’t have any there. For the others I may buy something for, I don’t have a good clue yet.

Relaxed in the hotel for about an hour when Jerry called and gave me some directions on how to get to where he, Truck, and I were meeting for dinner, Tavern on Jane, at 8^th Ave. and Jane Street in the West Village.

I bought a metro card, as the one I had was about empty, and took the short train ride to the 14^th street station on the E train. The restaurant was easy to find. It’s amazing at how the character of the city can change from one neighborhood to the next. It’s pretty easy to see why the Village is so popular too. It’s very comofortable.

Truck showed up shortly, and we went inside and had a drink. For Truck a gimlet, and for me a Brooklyn Lager that I really enjoyed. Jerry showed up a few minutes later, and ordered himself a Stoli on the rocks. We debated over whether to go somewhere with outside patio dining, as the weather was incredibly nice, but decided on staying there to eat, and then finding a patio for drinks.

We started with some calamari. Both Jery and I had the hanger steak with some kind of potatoes and spinach, and truck had something I can’t recall. It was really good, and too much to finish. Another lager for me, vodka for Jerry, and wine for Truck.

The White Horse Tavern (567 Hudston St. at 11th St.) was our next destination. They had plenty of sidewalk seating, so we picked a table and got a round of beers; Yuengling Lager for Jerry and I, and a White Horse Ale(maybe) for Truck.

It's always been great to hang out with Truck and Jerry (and Buick, not that he was here). They all have excellent senses of humor, in addition to being extremely intelligent, so when you're conversing with them, you feel like you can use 100% of your brain. With too many people, I feel like I have to turn my brain down to 60% or so, then at places like WalMart or the grocery store, I just leave my brain on 'Idle'. These guys are also very skilled musicians, not that we were doing any of that at the time, but that was the reason we all met.

After a second round of beers (White Horse Ale all around) we finished with shots of Scotch, whose name I can't remember. We said our good-byes, Truck and Jerry headed back to Hoboken, and I headed for the E train, half-lit and with Ben Folds Five cranked on the iRiver. I'd bet I blended in pretty well here.

I'll see these guys again in about three weeks at Truck's wedding in Cambridge, Massachusettes.

Hoboken or Bust

It turns out I did not get bumped. Oh well, maybe next time.

The plane was some model of Embraer Jet, N725AE. The flight took off at 11:05, reached a cabin altitude of 4880', flew for 1:05, and landed at 12:10. A little bumpy, but in a fun, rollercoaster-ish sort of way. Generally, I'm pretty comfortable on airplanes, since with my average height and weight, it's like the seats are designed for me. But this flight I was sitting next to a woman with "big hips" (which is really just a euphamism, admit it.) So between my wide shoulders and her wide "hips,", I had to scrunch pretty far against the window to avoid touching her. She was not as concerned with this.

Making my way to ground transportation, and consulting my Not For Tourists Guide to NYC (with thanks to Peony, who had one I got to consult a few weeks ago) I decided on the New York Airport Service Express Bus, $12 one-way from LaGuardia to Grand Central Station in Manhattan. It was fast and direct. From the train station, it was about seven quick blocks north and one block east to my hotel at 51st and Lexington, The Metropolitan Doubletree.

It was still a little early to check in, but they had a room ready, so I got my key and cookie, and headed up. The room is tiny, but clean. My room faces North, toward 51st street and a big office building. It's not spectacular, but it was the most reasonably priced place I could find within walking distance of the Oracle training center at 53rd and Madison.

I put away nearly everything, keeping my shoulder bag with my GoreTex jacket, and my film camera, and headed out. The first stop was Zam's Panini Tozt at 44 E 50th street. Panini is an Italian pressed sandwich. For lunch I got a Cuban sandwich made by an Arabic guy. Regardless, it was awesome. I went west to 5th avenue, then headed south to 38th street, then west again to the NY Waterway ferry terminal at Pier 78. I bought a one way fare to Hoboken North.

Why Hoboken North, you're wondering? Years ago, Truck and Jerry, two good friends of mine from college (and the Blue Band Drumline) moved to Hoboken, and since then had relayed to me on many occasions what an awesome town it is. I'd been meaning to check it out since the '90s, but never had. Now was my chance. I had Jerry's address, and Truck's phone number (coincidentally, Truck had just moved back to Hoboken after living in San Francisco for several years.) So armed with my trusty guidebook plus a tourist map, I headed into Hoboken.

It turns out those two were absolutey right about the city. It's very cool. Plenty of neat shops and ethnic food places, and parks, etc. Plus they have easy public transportation with two ferry stops, a PATH train, and buses that can take you right to the Port Authority station for less than $2. I found Jerry's house pretty easily, and rang the buzzer. No answer. Crap. I had his home phone number. No answer. I had Truck's cell phone number, so I called that. That's right, no answer. I left him a text message. They didn't know I was coming, as I wanted to surprise them. Figuring that a day exploring Hoboken would be a worthwhile pursuit in and of itself, I wasn't too terribly concerned that it wouldn't work out. I was having a good time anyway, but seeing those two would've been a bonus.

I picked up a cold drink at the bodega right below Jerry's apartment, and set out to do some more exploring. On the door of the place was a sign advertising the St. Ann's Italian Street Festival at 7th and Jefferson, so I walked that way.

The festival was awesome, and at this point I really wished that I hadn't already eaten. They had all the usuals; Italian sausage, Italian ice, plus a couple of less usuals; a creperie, a pulled pork bbq place (in New Jersey?), a place selling some kind of melted mozarella on a corn cake thing, and a tent selling zeppolis where the line was at least 100 feet long. There was a big stage, a beer tent, a couple of carnival games and some kiddy rides. The Traveling Roths would've totally dug it.

I went back to the south side of town and took a break at the beautiful Stevens Park right on the water, with tremendous views of Manhattan from downtown (where the WTC used to be) to Midtown. The weather completely cleared up, and it was comfortably cool and very dry. Like September weather. It could not have been nicer there.

I bought my return ticket to Manhattan from the South ferry terminal, and took a seat on the floating dock to wait. Just as the ferry was pulling up, Truck called, and instantly my plans changed. I got his address and started walking to the 1000 block of Garden street.

Truck and Debbie (his fiancee) had just bought this apartment. It was very cool, with excellent floors, front and back windows, and a couple of sweet brick fireplaces. They've been back from California for maybe a month and a half, plus they're getting married in Massachusettes in three weeks, so needless to say, they've been busy.

A few minutes later, Jerry, Mary (his wife) and Kate (his daughter, who is ~16 months old) arrived. This is the first time I'd met both Mary and Kate, and the first time they'd seen Truck and Debbie's apartment. So the coincidences were astounding. Mary's pregnant with deuce, and due in December.

We all went back to Jerry and Mary's apartment on Willow Avenue, and hung out there, and eventually got Thai food and enjoyed several fine selections from the Smith-Sullivan cellars. Ironically enough, the last time I'd hung out with both Truck and Jerry was back in September 1998 when Jennifer was pregnant with Tristan.

It got late, but Jerry hooked me up with a bus ticket, and Truck walked with me to the bus stop on Washington street where I took the bus directly to the Port Authority terminal in Manhattan. From there it was an easy transfer to the subway, where I had a Metro card from three weeks ago with two trips on it, so I took the E train toward Queens, getting off a stop or two early, and having to walk a few blocks back to my apartment, around midnight. No problem whatsoever. I may be a little tired tomorrow (today) though.

Manhattan Deja Vu

I first went to New York City in 1977, and didn't return for 26 years, save a couple of times just driving through. Since I did make my return in 2003, I've been there three times already, and today will be the fourth. At this point I'm thinking, "What took me so long?"

I'm definitely not any kind of NYC expert, and I barely feel like I know what I'm doing when I'm there, but I have to say that the city is far, far less intimidating than I think I was giving it credt for all those years. I still don't think it's the cetner of the universe, but it is a cool place to visit.

I was supposed to get there at 12:25 today, but my flight is oversold, so I volunteered to get bumped. If that happens, I'll supposedly be flying through DC now, and won't get into LaGuardia until 5:00. That all is subject to change. If I do get bumped, I'll get a $200 flight voucher. That could come in handy. I'm flexible, I have no checked baggage, and I technically don't have to be there until 9 am tomorrow. So we'll see.

I Need a Traveler

Andy has a rubber duck that has accompanied him on his travels for many years. Duck Brown has been photographed in Canada, Europe, and all over the USA. Here's a recent picture of Duck Brown with a Klingon in Las Vegas.

Anyway, I figured I needed something similar. For many years my de facto constantly photographed item was the red camera case that housed my Fuji DL-400. I'd take the camera out of the bag and toss it on the table, and then take the picture. So needless to say, we ended up with a lot of pictures of that camera bag all over the place.

But how clever is that? Who wants to see a camera bag all over the world? So after much contemplation, I thought I had it; Buddy Christ.

No, I didn't think Buddy Christ was sacreligious or discrespectful, but carrying a statue of a white version of Jesus seemed a little, I don't know, Catholic? Anyway, the only store around here that I knew carried them didn't have any. They had various interesting rubber ducks, but that seemed too derivative. Then after an exhaustive search, I found it.

Meet Bart Blue Bender

Actually, I think we'll just go with Bender. Look for Bender's first road trip in the days to come, as he and I are heading to Manhattan tomorrow morning. Since I'm taking the aforementioned Fuji DL-400 which captures its pictures on 35mm film, it could be quite a while before the trip's pictures make it to the web.

The Big July Adventure: Part 3: Four Roths in Three States

Back to work at my office in North Carolina on Monday for me. Day camp for Tristan and Zoe at Harmonyville Church of the Brethern in Pennsylvania, where my brothers and I attended camp as kids, and full-time+ school for Jennifer in Vermont.

Since everyone is away, I decided to participate in another clinical trial at my unethical ex-employer, aaiPharma. This is probably the eighth or ninth study I've done there since 2002.

For those not in the know, here's how they work. They're testing generic formulations of name-brand drugs to see if they're released, absorbed, and eliminated in roughly the same amounts and timeframes as the already on the market name-brand drug. It's realtively safe as these are already approved, marketed drugs, and their generics. No first-time-in-man stuff here. I wouldn't touch that. You have to be healthy, normal weight, and not on any medication to participate. One weekend you get the generic, the other weekend you get the name-brand.

I had a screening physical on Wednesday where I signed the papers, had a physical with height, weight, blood, urine, and EKG. Saturday night I checked-in to the clinic at 7:00 where my stuff was searched for unauthorized items like food, candy, gum, medicne, automatic weapons, etc. I gave another urine sample to make sure that I haven't been rockin' the ganj since Wednesday, and that I'm not pregnant. From there I make my bed. In my particular room there are nine twin-sized bunk beds, all but one of them with occupants. I have a bottom bunk, fortunately, as the top bunks suck, being directly under the fluorescent lights, in some cases. The rest of the night is spent hanging out, with a "light snack" of fairly awful chicken fajitas, and an orientation meeting where the self-important clinic manager chides us and speaks to us like children, which is not entirely undeserved in the case of many of these people. There are a couple of TV rooms, a study room, a big dining room, and wireless Internet access (which is a fairly recent development). Lights out at 11:00. I'm in bed by 10.

Sunday morning wake-up call is at 5:30. I get up at 5:15 to get a jump and avoid the lines. There are 52 people in this study, which is half the number of my last one, so the crowds aren't bad at all. Blood pressure and temperature check. I'm in the fasted half of the study, which means no breakfast, which isn't entirely bad if you've seen the breakfasts here. At 6:45 I have my first blood draw. At 7:30 I take the medicine. The next few hours are really busy. I have blood draws at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minutes, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 hours, lunch consisting of a turkey sandwich with cheese and lettuce, a bag of chips, a can of soda, a small cup of honeydew and canteloupe, and an oatmeal cookie, blood draws at 5, 6, and 8 hours, dinner consisting of fried chicken, mashers with gravy, corn on the cob, steamed squashes, horrible dinner rolls with butter, and a can of soda, a blood draw at 12 hours, then snack, which I think is strawberries and pound cake...and a can of soda. Then it's free time until my final in-patient blood draw at 7:30 monday, followed by discharge from the clinic. I come back Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30am for my 48 and 72 hour blood draws, respectively. The whole thing is repeated on the weekend of August 5th.

In case you're curious, all the blood draws are from the same spot in my left arm. This is known as "The Money Vein" in my house, as it has provided some wonderful things like TiVo, a refrigerator, and trips to Italy, The Grand Canyon, and Lake Tahoe, among other stuff. If you have the stomach for it, this really is a decent way to pick up some extra money.

The Big July Adventure: Part 2b; The Rest of the Week

Thursday. I actually went in to GSK's Upper Merion site to work with GSK's Pennsylvania version of me, Bill. I'd never met him before, but coinciendtally, he's a long time friend of my uncles Roger and Bernie, and married to a distant cousin. Jennifer and the kids went to meet Tricia, a friend from PSU. In the afternoon, we met up with Dan Flickinger and his daughters Emma and Grace at the REI in Conshohocken. We hadn't seen them in a year and a half, and my, how they'd grown. The weather had finally gotten nice after all the rain and humidity earlier in the week.

After picking up a snack at Genaurdi's in Conshohocken, we went to Tee's, a mini-golf, batting cages and driving range in Plymouth Meeting. I think Tristan and Zoe had played mini-golf maybe once before, but on this very nice course, they were like old pros, or a foursome of elementary school students at least. The air was cool and dry. The summer breeze was light, and the evening sunlight was just perfect, but you'll have to take my word for it because somebody left our only functional camera back at the folks' house. When we finished there, Jean met us and we proceeded to Pizzeria Uno.

Jennifer and the kids had never been to Uno's, so I made Jennifer get Chicago-style pizza, which we shared with Jean. It was filling. Between the three of us we ate four of the six pieces. They have cool kids stuff for the kids to play with while they wait for their food, and the "make your own pizza" menu item for them was pretty cool too. I'd bet we go back just for that.

For dessert we headed down the road to Rita's [Water] Ice. This is a pretty popular chain in those parts, but we had never been. At Dan's encouragement (which is what Dan does, in case you don't know Dan), I got their "Gelati", which is not to be confused in any way with gelato. (Gelati would be the plural, in Italian, as in Due gelati, por favore. ("Two gelatos please") a phrase I could speak like a native in Italy.) Their "Gelati" was a big cup with a layer of frozen custard on the bottom, a layer of Italian ice in the middle, and then another layer of frozen custard on top. For the ice part, I chose wild black cherry. It was really good. The kids used the walkway as a playground where they created their own entertainment, that I think would've eventually evolved into "make the cars entering the parking lot think we're going to run out in front of them. " I mentioned to Dan, Jean, and Jennifer that our four kids could eventually really be a handful, owing to their superior intellect and well-developed sense of mischief.

Friday. Back to GSK Upper Merion for me. Jennifer was finishing up her packing. At lunchtime, I insisted that my coworkers and I go to The Boathouse on Fayette Street in Conshohocken. This was my favorite restaurant in town when I worked for Quaker Chemical Corporation - my first "real" job after college, in 1993-1994. Jennifer got sick after eating there once, so short of going solo, I almost never get to go back. I won't go into a lot of detail about the lunch, but I got my favorite: Cajun Tuna Steak Sandwich. Highly recommended.

By the time I got home, Jennifer had left for New Jersey to meet up with a fellow student to share the ride to Vermont. In case I hadn't mentioned it, Jennifer's in grad school at Bennington College. She's pursuing a Masters of Arts in Teaching of a Second Language (MATSL). She spent three weeks up there last July, and took probably four courses during the school year. She does the same again this year, and then has a one-week residency there next July, and then Graduates. It's a really tough program, and pretty unique, as there aren't too many programs for elementary school foreign language teachers. Jennifer is nailing it though.

We had hoagies from The Ice House for dinner. These were our first for this trip (unless you count the Grinder Jennifer and I split on Monday). I'm proud to say that Tristan and Zoe are both fans of the true Hoagie, and can differentiate it from a "sub", which is about all we can find in the south. Subs are inferior.

On Saturday, Tristan's #6 tooth (upper right side central incisor) was really loose, so after some very conscientious work on Tristan's part with a piece of celery, it finally came out! Tristan was extremely excited as this was his first baby tooth to fall out, which is somewhat rare for a kid his age. Later in the morning, Andy, Alex, and Ella arrived. The kids were ecstatic to see their cousins. We all went to the pool at French Creek State Park for a day of swimming. They have a really nice setup there. The pool is huge with a big lawn, a good sized shallow area, plus space outside the gate with picnic tables and grills. It overlooks the lake, where we were able to swim when we were kids, until the Canada geese ruined that. The pool's much better anyway.

After a couple of hours of that, we headed to Matt and Dawn Lambert's, more friends from Owen J., and their kids Anne, Peter, Jane, and Laura, stopping first at what used to be Farmer Browns for some cookout stuff to bring. It's always fun to go to the Lamberts. They are excellent hosts, and all the kids get along great. The kids wore themselves out playing everything imaginable.

(Tristan, Ella, Anne, Peter, Alex, Zoe, Jane)

Sunday. We went to Sunday School and church at Coventryville United Methodist Church, on what would be the last summer day in the church's 232 year history without air conditioning in the sanctuary. Dad and I were wearing shorts anyway, even though it was actually comfortable in there for a change. I couldn't imagine what would happen at Mebane Presbyterian Church if the air conditioning wasn't working. I doubt anyone would come, because as a largely suit-wearing congregation (save myself) it would be unbearable in there. But I digress. Dad cooked some burgers and hotdogs on the grill for lunch, then Andy, Alex, and Ella left for Maryland, while Rabin and I left for Mebane. We departed around 2pm, stopped once around the I-85/I-95 merge south of Richmond, and made it home around 10 pm. The lawn was reasonably high, but there were no huge mold patches on the living room ceiling like last year.

Now it's back to the normal routine for Rabin and me, three weeks of grad school in Vermont for Jennifer, and two weeks of day camp, followed by a week at the beach with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for Tristan and Zoe.

The Big July Adventure: Part Two: This Thread Is Useless Without Pictures

We returned home from NYC to start our last week all in one place, stopping at Uncle Bernie and Aunt Mary Ellen's house for a cookout.

Correctly for my idiom, I'll mention food in this post too. Bernie has shouldered the mantle of making homemade ice cream in the tradition of, and using the recipe from Granddad Roth. I think Bernie also inherited Grandad's ice cream maker. The ice cream is an uncooked, custard (or French) style, the recipe for which Grandmother says comes from one of her cookbooks. Regardless, it was excellent. When it was ready, Bernie gave Jennifer, Tristan, Zoe, and Mike (a friend of Bernie's,) and me spoons and the dasher to clean off. I'll happily add this recipe to my collection, as the Roth/Prizer traditional family recipes cookbook is embarrasingly thin.

Monday it was back to work for me, via VPN software that makes working from just about anywhere with a stable Internet connection possible. At lunchtime, Jennifer and I went to Chris's Pizza Pie in NorCo for a grinder. After dinner, Jennifer, Tristan and I went back to the Gelateria in Kimberton, since J & T had never been there. I got Tiramisu and Nocciola (hazlenut) and Jennifer got. . . . . Since two larges comes to nine bucks and change, Tristan had to sponge of Jennifer and I.

Tuesday was Independence Day, so everyone had the day off. We started at the Goodwill Fire Company's pancake breakfast. Evidently, this is a long-standing Roth tradition that we just heard about this year. We met Grandmom, Bernie and Mary Ellen, Uncle Roger, Aunt Linda, and cousins Laura and Julia. There were plenty of pancakes, french toast, and sausage to go around. I sat with Tom Mattingly, a friend from Owen J. who is now the chief engineer and fire truck driver for one of the local fire companies. We also got to check out the giant heavy rescue truck they call "Da Heavy" (don't get me started on this) that is dedicated to Grandad, and features a sweet plaque with Grandad's likeness on it. We also checked out the Ahrens-Fox, which was Grandad's favorite fire truck.


The weather was fairly warm and muggy, but we sat under the shade of the old firehouse's awning. The kids enjoyed the parade, especially the costumed Star Wars characters. This was the first Pottstown Independence Day parade I've been to since 1976, I believe. Of all the parades I've seen in my life, this was one of them.

For the second year now, we went to Ludwig's Corner to see their fireworks. It's $10 a car, and since all of us (and Mom and Dad) can fit in Dad's truck, we took that again. (Note to self: get there at 8:00 next year). It was while we were waiting there that I discovered that my Minolta Dimage 7Hi had a faulty sensor, and would be inoperable until I could get it repaired. That's part of the reason for the dearth of pictures here. For me, being camera-less is very uncomfortable. I did my photography with the Canon on "fireworks" mode, and enjoyed the impressive high and low-altitude show they put on there. Afterward, when we were maybe 100 meters from the car, we heard an incredible growing "hiss" sound, followed by the feeling of the sky opening up on us. From that short distance to the truck, we all were completey soaked. I don't think we could've been wetter.

Wednesday, July 5th.

Back to work for me, once again from the folks' house. That evening, Jennifer and I went to Philadelphia to Monk's Cafe at 16th and Spruce for Jennifer's birthday dinner (her birthday is the 13th.) It's a Belgian pub that was highly recommended by my GSK manager. I started with a traditional Belgian red ale that tasted a little Worcestershire-y to me. I thought it would go great with steak. Jennifer had a Hoehgarten, a biere blanche with hints of citrus peel and corriander seed. For entrees, Jennifer had the charcuterie (sausage) platter, and I had my favorite Belgian food; Moules Frites (mussels and fries). The mussels were Brugges-style, and Belgian fries are generally regarded as the best in the world, these being accompanied by homemade bourbon mayonnaise. These were followed with a second order of fries. For dessert we had something claiming to be creme brulee, but was really kind of a chocolate and custard torte. It was excellent regardless. On the way out of there we saw a chick on a scooter almost get T-boned by a Honda on Broad Street. No trip to Philly would be complete without a visit to South Philly, so we went to Pat's King of Steaks to pick up a "Pizza Steak-with (onions)" for Dad, and a regular "Wiz-with" (cheeze wiz and onions) for us for later.

The Big July Adventure: Part One: I Love Da Hood

July is going to be a big month for all of us, with the four of us being in as many as three different states at once. Tristan and Zoe will be staying together, to have each other's backs, Jennifer will be up in Vermont at grad school, and I will be back in North Carolina most of the time, doing what I do there, albeit with more quiet.

So the trip started with Jennifer, Tristan, Zoe, and Rabin driving in the Corolla up to PA on Friday, June 30th. They left around 6:45 and got there around 4pm. I left after work, around 3:30, and got to the folks' house at 11:30. Both rides were uneventful, just the way we like them.

Saturday morning, it was off to NYC, on what is now becoming a regular event for us. In only 2:45, we went from the folks' to Jordan's apartment in Brooklyn. After a quick tour of the apartment and the roof, we headed out on foot. Making our way through Prospect Park (Brooklyn's version of Central Park, but smaller and less crowded), we got lunch at a diner called something like Grecian Corner. Most of the people in there were somehow enthralled watching England lose to Portugal in the World Cup. Tristan asked the guy at the table next to us; "Who are the good guys, the white [shirted] guys or the red guys?" The guy, who apparently was British, responded, "The white guys."

After lunch, Jordan took us to a nearby store, that was right up Tristan's alley; the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store. It had everything a superhero could need, from costuming, to utility belt items, to special chemicals. Tristan took the oportunity to test drive a new cape, on their state of the art cape tester.

From there it was back on the kids' favorite ride: the New York Subway System. Wanting to see something new this trip, we went to Chinatown. Jordan does a lot of construction/renovation work here, so he knows his way around. We were on a hunt for a new Chinese dress for Zoe, and something for Tristan to wear at his various Chinese performances at school. We didn't find a dress for Zoe, but she did find a fan she liked. Tristan got a kung-fu jacket and a mask. During the purchase, Tristan was having a conversation with the shopkeeper - in Mandarin. Not bad for a 7-year-old white boy from North Carolina.

We met Peony, Jordan's girlfriend. She's a 26-year-old graphic designer from Alexandria, VA, according to her MySpace profile. She found us while Jordan was haggling over some kung-fu slippers. It was a warm day, and we were parched from our travels, so we made our way to the Green Tea Cafe on Mott street. They had a huge tea menu, including bubble tea, milk, tea, hot tea, and snacks. Tristan ordered for all of us in Chinese once again, and other than forgetting to order his own drink, did a great job. I had the coconut bubble tea, and it was awesome.

It was a quick walk to Little Italy from Chinatown, so we went there on a gelato quest. We found our gelato (Lemon, lemon, pineapple and coconut) and some cannoli, and bought a sandwich (prosciutto, mozarella, and roasted peppers) for later, from the Italian food center we shopped at last year. There were plenty of cute Italian-ish girls, standing on the street outside of the restaurants, beckoning hungry travelers to imbibe in wonderful pasta dishes. I couldn't help thinking that one of them would make a fine wife for Jennifer's brother Jonas.

Back on to the favorite ride to head uptown.

Tristan likes to feign sleeping on the subway for some reason. Zoe had a new best friend, once again.

We saw Rockefeller Center and Radio City, where Jennifer used to make annual treks as a child. But here was the store for Zoe: The American Girl Store. This place is nuts. You can get a doll that looks generally like you, buy matching outfits for the doll and yourself, have a day at the salon, go to a show and dinner, etc. One could drop some serious coin there, but fortunately, we left with our disposible income intact, opting instead for a soft pretzel outside the Disney store, where Zoe did get a Stitch stuffed animal as her "New York Souvenir".

Needing to finally sit down, we took respite on a bench an Central Park South, where Zoe performed her "Fan Dance" that she swears she learned in school.

And Tristan performed some sort of ad hoc kung-fu jacket and scary mask dance.(that's the south east corner of Central Park just behind Tristan, in case you're curious)

From there, it was back to Brooklyn to call it a day, and eat our fine sandwhich, not before T and Z had their picture taken by some apropos grafiti on the roof of Jordan's building.
I ♥ DA HOOD
BK 4 LIFE

Post Script, Sunday, 2 July: Had to get bagels and bialys on the way out of Brooklyn. Bergen Bagel on Flatbush Ave. did not disappoint. A bialy for Jennifer, an Everything bagel with jalapeno cream cheese for me, a cinnamon raisin with strawberry cream cheese for Zoe, and a cranberry muffin for Tristan.