Stripped Aesthetics

It was love at first site: I stepped foot in this store and was instantly attracted to the stripped, classic & thoroughly considered design it offered.

Scare Bear

Intrigued first by the images, but mainly by the process of re-inventing these inside-out creatures.

Building a barn...again.

Some documentation of reconstructed barn-timber house a friend is building.

3 walls up then the antique barn structure is fitted within...

Looking quite normal so far.

Interior structure: beam in the pocket.

Internal chaos. On a sunny day.

Extreme surface. Old Surface.

Stacks and stacks, for windows, not scraps.

Dinner as the light dims.

Baby Greens

Miniature succulent pot party favors for guests at a planting party on Tuesday.  They were a hit, of course, because of their adorable size.

Revisiting Food: At the Table

Fresh herbal infusion of peppermint in Amsterdam.

Strawberry Tart in Milan from Princi.

Delicious fare from Happy Hour buffet in Milan.

Stocked up with local fare at the market in Florence to create this

delectable little stack of salami, crostini, pecorino and pesto.

Review: Cities Traveled & Accommodations

6/1: Boston, Harvard Square.(Mon) With a 9-hour layover during the day, we took the T into the city, walked around downtown and around the ICA, had lunch at cousin's restaurant,Uptown on the Square and visited the Harvard campus.

6/2: Paris, France. (Tues) Arrived around 8am. Took a train to the city center. Couldn't figure out how to exit train station for about 25 minutes. Mike had his train pass eaten. Walked for 3 hours with bags on backs through narrow streets stepping on toes of locals sipping from small cups. Visited Sacre Coeur.

6/3: Paris, France. (Wed) Took free tour of city landmarks. Walked around, beneath and through Eiffel Tower. More time at Sacre Couer and Montmartre area.

6/4: Paris, France. (Thur) Walked all around districts 1, 3 & 4. Took another tour, this time of Montmartre: visited Van Gogh's apartment, Picasso's studio, several locations from the film Amelie & the Moulin Rouge. Who knew we were staying in the red-light district, just blocks from the 4-story all-things-pleasure "Sexodrome?"

6/5: Paris, France. (Fri)Pompidou, Notre Dame, Louvre.


6/6: Paris, France/Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Sat)
Left Paris about 12:00. Arrived in Amsterdam about 5:30pm. Found Hostel. Walked around City Center. Red Light. (In that order.)

6/7: Amsterdam. (Sun)
Flea Market. Late Lunch at Cafe Smit & Voogt. Artis Zoo.

6/8: Amsterdam. (Mon) Wandered in and around the plant life at Hortus Botanicus. Delicious cookies fromBertram & Brood. Visited Anne Frank house.


6/9: Amsterdam. (Tues)Amsterdam Sex Museum (very educational) then Dutchies Rembrandt & Vermeer at theRijksmuseum. Train to Munich at 8:30pm, overnight.


6/10: Munich/München. (Wed)Loong night in train, arrived at 7:30am. Found A&O Hostel rather quickly. Laundry! Beers.


6/11: Munich. (Thurs) Walked around, found a square with beer, music and food (Wisconsin?). Mike's Bike tour of city landmarks, Hofbräühaus for more drinks and food.

6/12: Munich. (Fri) Took a tour to Dachau Memorial Site. Booked Milan Rail tickets & room.

6/13: Munich. (Sat) Took a day trip to Füssen: went in and aroundNeuschwanstein Castle. Paraglided over the castle and the foot of the alps. Biked around swan lake. Dinner at Carlton with Italian hostel friend.


6/14: Munich/Salzburg, Austria.(Sun) Day-trip to Salzburg, Austria: Sites from the Sound of Music,Salzburg Fortress (Hohensalzburg), Mozarts home & birthplace, multiple churches, biked along Salzach River. Returned to Munich at 7:30pm for brats & beer garden. Then lots of rain.


6/15: Milan. (Mon) Left Munich at 9:30, arrived in Milan at 5:30. Took 2+ hours to find our room. Late dinner.

6/16: Milan. (Tues) Visited Milan's larger-than-life and very gothicDuomo. Lunch at stylish, yet affordable Princi. Later, happy hour at Mas! ,where, like most places, a hot delicious italian buffet is included with the price of one drink; mussels, pasta, pancetta and more. Love free food!


6/17: Milan/Como. (Wed) Day-trip to Como: watched bigger fish eat schools of littler fish from water's edge. Lunch by the lake. Also, fed swans and birds at the landing and watched them bathe. (We're easily entertained)


6/18: Nice, France. (Thur) Left Milan at 6:30. Arrived in Nice around 1:30. Checked into room, applied sunscreen then checked into beach and sun. Drinks & beach at night with other travelers.


6/19: Nice, France. (Fri) Lunch, Beach, out & about with a German, a Japanese and a French. Checked out "Wayne's."

6/20: Nice, France. (Sat) Visited beautiful Matisse Museum and his nearby burial site situated on the grounds of Roman Ruins in the Cimiez neighborhood. Train to Barcelona departs at 9:00 pm.


6/21: Barcelona, Spain. (Sun) Arrived around 1:00. Cleaned up. Just before leaving the hostel for to grab some food, met 3 of our roommates...from Wisconsin. Grabbed some food with them.


6/22: Barcelona, Spain. (Mon) Day at the beach with our roommates. Las Ramblas. Had tapas dinner them then went out as they do in Spain: very late.

6/23: Barcelona, Spain. (Tues)Tired. Lots for the tummy and the eyes at the Market. Hiked up to Antonio Gaudi's Park Guell after seeing his yet unfinished Sagrada Familia. Happened to be in town for Revetlla de Sant Joan (Eve of Saint John's Day). Another long night.


6/24: Nice, France. (Wed) Travel Day. Making our way back towards Italy. Got as far as Nice. Staying the night, leaving early. 


6/25: Florence, Italy. (Thur) Got out of Nice, and into Florence via Pisa by 5pm. Met a couple travelers headed our way staying at a camping "hostel." Checked into Camping Michelangelo early that evening.


6/26: Florence, Italy. (Fri) Got up early to visit the expected Uffizi Gallery (Birth of Venus) and The Accademia (David). Returned to the camp in the early afternoon for drinks and downpour-only second bit of precipitation of the trip (lucky).


6/27: Florence, Italy. (Sat) Mercato Nuovo leather shopping...all day? Walking and eating too.


6/28: Rome, Italy. (Sun) Early up and out of Florence. Check into Camping Village Rome-better than Florence: pools, live music, bar. Got some sun and dinner with some others + great blues band.


6/29: Rome, Italy. (Mon) Colosseum, ruins, etc., etc. Overload!


6/30: Rome, Italy. (Tues) Vatican, Walk about.

7/1: Rome, Italy. (Tues) National Gallery of Modern Art (Very cool).  Flight at 6:00pm to London.  Lay-over until 6:00am next day.

7/2: Chicago.(Tues) Not much sleep in airport overnight.  Left around 7:00am.  Got into Chicago at 10:30am, quick customs.  Car troubles, stop in Milwaukee, home at 10:00pm. And its over.

ACCOMODATION RATING

Village Hostel, Paris ***
Vintage Hostel, Paris ***
Travel Hostel, Amsterdam **
A&O Hostel/Hotel, München ****
Hotel Piazza, Milan **
Hotel des Flandres, Nice **
Gothic Point, Barcelona ***
Camping Michelangelo, Florence ***
Plus Roma Camping Village, Rome ****


**** A keeper.
*** Reasonable, suitable.
** Okay, but not recommended.
* Never return. Yuck.

Revisiting Food: Markets

Paris Fruit Stand.

Milan fruit spread or still-life?

Barcelona's Boqueria Market...Dragonfruit...

...and squash blossoms.