Archive | travel

quaint Ortigia

March 30, 2012 at 2:56 pm

After visiting the ruins in Siracusa, Carrie, Ginny, Lena, and I wound our way towards the beautiful old port town of Ortigia. Because of the narrow channel of water separating this island from the mainland of Sicily, Ortigia seems distinctly different from larger Siracusa. It felt like we had left the hubbub of modern Sicily behind and had stepped back in time.

We wound our way through a fruit and vegetable market, stopping here and there to snap pictures or dip into Sicilian ceramic shops. Carrie snapped this photos of Lena on my back as I bent over to take pictures of sun-dried tomatoes. Someone was getting a little weary of all the adventuring!

Eventually we walked into the blindingly white central piazza, Piazza del Duomo, where all the buildings and pavement gleamed of clean limestone. After some perusing of menus, we settled on a charming little trattoria with amazing pizza offerings. I ordered un mezzo litro del vino bianco della casa (hope my grammar is right, but I meant “a half-liter of the house’s white wine”), and we settled down to take in the piazza.

photo by Carrie

The pizza was amazing. I’m definitely taking our future visitors to this restaurant, with the strong recommendation that they order the quattro formaggio pizza: a four cheese pizza (made entirely with local Sicilian cheeses) hot out of a wood-burning oven… to die for.

photo by Carrie

After our dog-sitting adventure the other week, Lena is now obsessed with all animals, especially dogs and cats. She followed this little cat all around the restaurant.

After we had wined and dined to our heart’s content, we walked across the piazza into a trendy gelateria. Lena had her first taste ever of pistachio gelato and loved it.

We wandered back through town, snapping more pictures and soaking up the delicious sun, so warm and refreshing after a cold, wet winter. Just a minute before we reached our car, I looked down and discovered we had tuckered someone out completely. Sweet little thing, she slept the whole way home!

3 :: in friends, Lena, Sicily, travel

quaint Ortigia

March 30, 2012 at 1:56 pm

photo by Carrie

After our dog-sitting adventure the other week, Lena is now obsessed with all animals, especially dogs and cats. She followed this little cat all around the restaurant.

After we had wined and dined to our heart’s content, we walked across the piazza into a trendy gelateria. Lena had her first taste ever of pistachio gelato and loved it.

4 :: in friends, Lena, Sicily, travel

the ruins of Syracuse

March 29, 2012 at 2:20 pm

Meet Ginny (L) and Carrie (R), the two lovely ladies who stayed with us this week. They are from the D.C. area, as Elliott and I are. I loved having two girls my own age around to talk to, especially when it came to books, Downton Abbey, music, movies… the things that 25-year-old girls talk about these days. Whether we work for a non-profit in D.C. or live in London or mother in Sicily, some things are always the same.

On our trip to Syracuse, or Siracusa (as the Italians say), we first stopped at the archeological park on the outskirts of town. The first stop in the park was this overgrown Roman amphitheater, now turned brilliantly green in the lushness of Sicilian spring.

Later we turned in our tickets and walked into the main part of the park to see the three major sites: the Greek Theater, the Latomia del Paradiso (a sunken garden in an ancient quarry), and the Ear of Dionysius.

The Greek Theater was surrounded by caves in the hillside around top, and from one of the caves burst this rushing stream. The theater, large enough to seat 1500, looks over the port and towards the Ionian Sea. Workmen appeared to be building makeshift bleachers and a stage over the crumbling ruins of the old theater. I later learned the INDA (the Italian national drama institute) will be performing classical plays here this year! We might have to come back this summer…

photo taken by Carrie

We walked down into the “sunken garden” in the ancient quarry. It was a magical place, somewhat overgrown and Secret Garden-esque, with trees dripping with lemons and oranges.

We found the Ear of Dionysius, a huge cave in the limestone quarry. Legend has it that the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse housed political prisoners in the cave. The incredible acoustics of the cave allowed him to listen in to his prisoners’ secrets.

photo taken by Carrie

We spent some more time wandering through the gardens and admiring various locals soaking in the peaceful day. Meanwhile, hoards of tourists (about five school groups of Italian teenagers and seemingly endless cruise ship crowds all speaking German) filled the archeological park, and after awhile we’d had enough. We headed out of the sunlit grotto and wound our way towards Ortygia, the rustic town on an island just off the coast of Sicily. More photos from there tomorrow!

1 :: in Italy, Sicily, travel

the ruins of Syracuse

March 29, 2012 at 1:20 pm

photo taken by Carrie

We walked down into the “sunken garden” in the ancient quarry. It was a magical place, somewhat overgrown and Secret Garden-esque, with trees dripping with lemons and oranges.

1 :: in Italy, Sicily, travel

toy store in Geneva

March 15, 2012 at 5:19 pm

We left our lovely chalet in France a week ago today. Together we drove back to Geneva and then finally parted ways. Goodbyes to family are always the worst!

Elliott, Lena, and I had a few hours before our flight left for Rome so we took off to do some exploring around the city. We saw a Versace model getting dressed and savored some quiet moments in a Starbucks. (No Starbucks in Sicily, so this caramel macchiato was a serious treat!)

Our favorite discovery in Geneva, though, was an magnificent toy shop. Four levels, all toys! Lena had been napping in her Ergo carrier and what wonders she woke up to!

I tried to get her excited about the amazing Haba toys from Germany, but she was more interested in the tags. Elliott was more interested in the tags, too, because when he saw the prices he said, “Not this time, honey.”

We loved this all-wooden toy set with beautifully painted people and animals. Elliott, in particular, was awed by the mountain goats. If we had a million dollars, we decided, we’d get this whole set for Lena. And for us.

We both grew up with a small stash of Playmobil, so we were irresistibly drawn to this brightly colored wall of boxes. When will Lena be old enough for her first Playmobil set? Can’t be soon enough for her parents! We have had our eyes on the veterinary clinic set ever since we spotted it in Solvang, California, this fall.

And last but not least, a picture for my siblings and grandparents. Do you remember the toy pig that Grampie gave us when we were kids that oinked and walked? They had one oinking and walking around the toy store! Elliott and Lena stared on in concerned wonder as I bent down in delight to pet the piggy and then took several pictures of it. Such a silly little toy… and yet what power it had to take me back to happy days of childhood!