Genova Pictures

Here is a glimpse of what we did today.

Genova

We made it to Genova today around 4 pm. Without a map, reservations, any clue at all, we headed out in the city looking for an information booth or something. We found nothing. Finally we stopped at a magazine stand and purchased a map, sat down for a cappuccino and beer to figure what to do next. After reviewing the map, we figured nothing out. Not worried, we ended up at an internet cafe to search the web for a place to stay. FOUND One. Only one basically. It was only a block or two away from where we were so we lugged our bags that direction. It said Bed and Breakfast. Passing the entrance once, we rang the bell and were let into a hallway that looked like it was filmed in The Saint. A gentleman met us at his doorway and we asked if he had any available rooms. He let us in not sure if he did. He called his wife and she ran home as soon as she could to prepare our room. I have to admit I was a little freaked out. We were totally out of character choosing a B & B...in Italy no less, but what a way to get a feel for the culture, head first.

In the end, Francesco and Parla are a super nice couple that have 4 rooms in their home. They were a huge help and even called the restaurant they suggested to us before we got there so that they had an English speaking server ready for us. Not necessary normally, but this restaurant would have been super difficult to order at being a veggie. What was totally NOT necessary was the fact that they changed the music in the restaurant to "what the American's listen to". It was the radio, but during dinner it played Eminem and Green Day. Weird. Dinner was so great. Genova is where pesto was first created and it was delicious. We had antipasta, mozzarella buffalo and fresh tomatoes. All was yummy!

During dinner we decided to plan the rest of the trip so we weren't running around the cities without a plan. We are now set and can relax a little more. We both can't wait to get out of the large cities. We plan to stay here again tomorrow and then head to a very village.

Thanks for tuning in!

Ciao, Kate

Milano

Sorry it has taken us so long to post something. Internet is not exactly easy to find, nor is it cheap. I did make it safely to Milan and the flight was just as miserable as I anticipated.

After Ryan picked me up from the airport we headed to where he was working. The best way to compare this area would be to think of Forest Grove in reference to Portland. Although a total drag of a place, we had an amazing meal.

(Sorry if we end up blogging a lot about food, but while in Italy…why not?)

We were recommended to eat at a little place just outside the industrial park we were staying in. Ryan thought that going for a jog and swinging through would be a good idea. On his jog, he realized it was about a mile away from the hotel and there were no sidewalks, no street lights and felt basically deserted. I was a little concerned for our safety and we asked the front desk if it was “safe”. Sure enough, it was good to go. Just dark as hell, rats in on the sidewalk and scary small fast lizards and a small one lane tunnel to run like the wind through before a car comes.

Dinner was amazing. The chef personally came to our table to help us order and chose our wine for us. Did we accidentally order way more food than necessary? Yes, due to language barrier issues. Our first course was eggplant with buffalo (spelling) mozzarella. Gorgeous! Second we had pasta with mint, zucchini and lemon. (Ryan is still talking about that pasta). I thought it tasted a little like a mojito. Very unique. We also had a pink asparagus risotto that was amazing. Thinking dessert was next, we had an enormous plate of tempura sat in front of us. Not just any tempura. Fontina cheese and veggies, drizzled with balsamic. They have a flavor that is familiar, and it is still driving me crazy trying to figure out what it is. Finally dessert was ordered, a chocolate gelato with coconut in the middle. Not bad at all. Thinking we were done and ready for the check, we misunderstood one of our servers and apparently ordered the most bizarre drink ever. What is it? We have no idea. It was served in the tiniest stemware glass. Looked like lemon pudding, tasted like lemon and went down with a big burn. Kind of like a distilled lemon liquor.

Feeling full as ever and a little tipsy, we headed back. As we were walking through the tunnel a car came up behind us. I guess I hollered CAR! And ran like Phoebe on friends (if you have seen that episode, you would understand). Good times!

The following day we headed to Milan. After being turned down by a bus driver since we didn’t have a ticket (we were told we didn’t need one) we had to call a taxi. Our hotel front desk called the taxi for us and they were kind enough to send a fancy black audi with tinted windows. Not cheap either.

Ryan had walked around Milan so he knew his way around. We saw the Duomo and all the designer shops. We wanted to get to our next destination by train and walked about a mile dragging our bags and breaking our backs to find out we went the wrong way. Live and learn!

Ciao!

Kate & Ryan

McKenzie River Trail

As Ryan sets off for Italy, I hit the McKenzie River Trail with Brian, Tara, Eric, Erik, Josh and some A-Dec dudes. Heidi was kind enough to shuttle the van from the top. We owe her! It was a chilly morning for sure, but it turned out to be a perfect temp for our temp-sensitive folks. Within the first 2 miles, one of the bikers showed up with the first blood. Nothing major, except that there is a small bridge just before Clear Lake and it was missing the right side hand railing. I think he hit the slick bridge and flew off the side into the creek. He was a super trooper and took it like a champ. Other injuries included Eric hitting his achilles somehow and it still isn't sounding right when he moves it. I took out a tree (okay, the tree didn't move) with my shoulder and that is still hurting today. I also have an awesome bruise.

Here a couple pictures from the ride.

After we finished 22 miles of the trail, we ran into Heidi with the dogs at Belknap Hot Springs. Rather than riding the last few miles, a few of us bailed and threw in the towel. I do not feel bad for stopping before the end. I had three other quitters with me!

The best part of the day was finishing the trail with an hour long soak in the hot springs and a hot shower. That is definitely a do over! Ryan, you were dearly missed on the trail. If the weather holds the same pattern as it is now, we may get to hit MRT once more before the end of the season. ~Kate

Ryan's First Day in Italy

Just made it to the hotel an hour ago. It was a long haul, and I've hardly slept in the last 32 hrs... definitely tired. The layover in JFK was boring, and their airport was lame in comparison to PDX but things brightened up as I got closer to the final destination. Flying into Italy we were directly over the Alps, and it was much more rugged than I had imagined. Completely amazing. I took the train from the Malpensa Airport to Milano this morning and then spent most of the day packing my bags around the city. This week is fashion week in Milano, so there are plenty of models running around, the shopping is ridiculous, and the architecture is over the top. Castles, duomos, cathedrals... oh my. After a little vini delle casa and a margharita pizza (yummy), I headed north out of Milano.

After a little confusion at the train station, I hopped on a train similar to the one Kate and I road to Salem, MA, and 20 minutes later got out at Monza. Once out of the big city no one seemed to speak English, so it took a while to figure out how to get from there to Agrate Brianza. After figuring it out, I was waiting for bus z314, but apparently I wasn't close enough to the curb because it blew past me without hesitation. Since it's is a national holiday here today, all the buses were running a reduced schedule, so I had to hang out for 2 more hours waiting for the bus to return. Made sure I got on this round and unfortunately the driver didn't speak any English. I tried to annunciate "Colleoni", which was enough to establish where I wanted to go. Funny thing is that it wasn't a typical stop, so he literally let me out on the side of a highway. I had to jump over the railing to avoid getting waxed, and walk through a field in the direction the bus driver had pointed. 1 km later I walked into the correct hotel, totally cashed.

Let the adventure begin. :) ~ Ryan