You have to try the Grappa! You don’t have to like it though. Grappa is a strong, grape-based liquor that is special to Italy. There are as many grappas as there are wines, with quite a range of flavors and strengths. I, personally, don’t really like it. I would prefer a nice after dinner sip of Limoncello! But you have to appreciate the dedication to it here. Just look at that beautiful bottle, all sealed with wax and a special cork! Nicely presented of course, you can’t just drink your drinks, you have to appreciate how they look first.
The Good Stuff
Since we’ve been here in Italy, we’ve tried a lot of wine. And we’ve found a lot of good wine! I didn’t like wine very much before we came here, but now I appreciate it in a different way. Now I can really tell the young wines that are more like juice from the more complex wines. There is nothing quite like tasting a fabulous new wine!
I also love all of the enoteche (wine shops) and grocery store shelves and window displays (like this one) that are filled with so much wine. It’s such a part of the culture here. And when you buy wine in a nice shop, they wrap it beautifully for you or, really nice wines, come in these boxes. I really want one of these wine boxes, I have no idea what for, but I want one!
Just a Glimpse
A glimpse of the flowers, half hidden by shutters. A glimpse of color. I love this photo, another Burano image. Today it is sunny and -3C, the ground is frosty and I just needed something that said “warm and summery.” That’s the beauty of photos, they can take you to a different place and time if you want to go. You get to revisit places you’ve been or see places you’ve never been through someone else’s eyes.
Yesterday we got back from a great weekend in the Dolomites, the Alps up near Austria. I won’t have time to go through pics until this weekend, because this week is study week – my theory driver’s exam is on Friday. My practice tests have improved from passing 40% of the time to passing 60% of the time… but those still aren’t good odds. I’m off to make a pot of tea and to study!
Arched Entryways
This arch is an entryway into the castle ruins of Rheinfels castle in St. Goar, Germany. This is one of the medieval castles of the Rhine River Valley, and you can go inside and explore the ruins a bit. It is very cool to get an idea of what life was like in these castles, it seems like a hard life of defending your territory, cramped and not-so-sanitary living. Not as romantic as we make it out to be today!
I liked this photo because of the scale. You can see Patrick and Brandon inside the arch, and get an idea of just how big it was. They needed to be able to ride through on horseback with flags, etc. so it had to be tall. One more use of the arch, not as decorative as the Rennaisance arches in the Italian courtyards, but interesting just the same.
Hallways with Arches
This is an early favorite, from our trip to Pavia in the spring. I don’t remember the name of the Castello, but it had a huge courtyard with these beautiful arcades on the first and second levels. This was the second level. I love the perspective of looking down the hallway as the arches get smaller and smaller. Perspective is a fun thing to play with!
Arches and Courtyards
This courtyard is in an abbey in Verona. Again, more arches. But also of note are all of the courtyards. From the outside, the street view, many cities just have sidewalks and buildings and streets. But once you get inside, it often opens up into these wonderful courtyards. Hidden little places of beauty with greenery or fountains, the ability to get some outside air and sunshine in a nicer environment. Buildings have courtyards, cities have piazzas for the same thing.