Packages and purchases

The foot of snow melted fast, but some also melted on me, in my room.  I dreamt it was raining.

I have not succeeded in getting power bar to ship me product (I’m out of those nifty gels that keep me from hitting walls.. a.k.a. face planting into the asphalt on my runs) but I did mail a couple packages out today.  Yeah!  Again, because it’s me, the whole thing was a production.  But really, think back to your very first time at the DMV, people are just standing around, no one has told you what forms or documents to bring, everyone is staring at you as the newcomer seeing if you can figure out the process faster than they did, and worse yet, the people at the counter are speaking a foreign language.  Great!

  

On my first attempt the post office was closed after 2:00, even though the website said open until 17:00.  Second attempt a gentleman holds the door open for me seeing the packages filling my arms.  Off to a good start.  I walk in and press one of three buttons for a biglietto/ticket hoping it was for the correct line.   It wasn’t but they kindly shuffled me to the right line.  Two packages went off without a hitch but the third was so pesante/heavy (at 3 lbs) I needed to fill out two forms with identical information, list the contents, and provide my passport.  The lady came back with copies of EVERY page of my passport.  I’m sure they don’t need to know how many times I’ve been stamped through the Frankfurt airport…though they may start to take pity on me.  After taking up ½ hour of the attendant’s time, two trips to Alba and more Euro than I care to admit to, three of the packages are starting their journey.  We’ll see who gets it first.  More to be mailed tomorrow (now that I have the forms haha).  I hope the same lady is working.

My discovery was finding a wine store. Yes it took 4 weeks, to find a central place to buy wine.  Well, other than the grocery store, which is actually fully stocked (don’t judge me), but this place was more of a grappa store than a wine store.  Every time I drove by the place looked closed.  Places are always closed.  I finally got fed up and stopped the car and went to the door.  The sign said to hit the buzzer and they’ll come.  And they did.  I still feel like an intruder.  The older gentleman left and a younger one came to help explaining their selection while I browsed.  Between the little English he knew and the little Italian I knew, we actually managed to have a coherent and informative conversation about wine.  A much more encouraging encounter than the wide-eyed blank looks I give the check out girls when they ask me something in lightning fast Italian (blink-blink).  I’ve found that if I hold my bag up like an idiot they usually stop asking questions. 

Tomorrow’s tantrum inducing task: Figuring out how to stream the SuperBowl live on my computer.  I am determined to watch that game, even if it does start at midnight.

Has anyone seen the mouse on top of the cat on top of the dog act in Boulder?  I saw a cat sleeping on a dog in my neighbor’s front yard today.  Super cute.

More France Photo's

Not going anywhere for a while...

 

Cannoli's and snow

61 in Denver.  Whatever!

I got the urge late this morning to do my 16 mile run today vs tomorrow.  Glad I did!  Perhaps some internal barometer told me to.  Guess I should finally find a weather channel around here.  I have also been debating buying tickets to the ballet in Milan for tomorrow.  That would have sucked.  Tickets are not cheap.  It would have been like Norwegian bumper cars on the autobahn, oops, I mean autostrada. I mean come on, this car has at LEAST two to three inch wide tires.  Cross country ski's strapped to this battery powered baby would have more control.  I'm staying put tomorrow....and icing my shins....and building a fire...and eating cannoli's.  Is anyone watching the Pro Bowl? 

Yes, I finally made the cannoli’s after finding what I needed.  Good recipe! http://www.academiabarilla.com/recipes/cannoli.aspx   The singular is cannolo, means "little tube"  (I guess I should just say cannoli vs being redundant and adding the 's....btw, panini is plural, panino is one and the Italians pronounce Bruchetta with a k in the middle...che=k like spanish...end tangent).  Couldn't find sheep's milk ricotta and I needed a thickening agent for the stuff I got.  The shells puffed up quite a bit, needed to be much thinner, dangerously thin.  And now I know why the cannoli's in pictures have the cocoa covering the inner shell rather than in the mix.  Not quite as appetizing looking otherwise.  Candied orange peel or flavoring is key to the recipe.  Once you find tubes you can fry and a pastry bag you're set.

I’ll make the custard tort and tiramisu soon but I need to finish the cheesecake and cannoli  first.  Me and my belly miss the people at work who would eat this all up.

Ciao, I miss you all!!!

Lunch:)

Tour de France

I got a split vote for coast and Alps so I did both.  Woke up at 5am and drove the back roads down to Savona along the coast to Aix.  I found one of the Calisson shops, Leonard Parli right away, another one Bechard Sa was closed and the third one, Roy Rene was not where the map said it was.  No bother, I got what I came for, mass quantities of Calissons.  From experience I know that once you exit Aix, you can’t get back on the highway going the direction I came from (maybe someone knows how but no one I've talked to), which is why continuing on to Montelimar made sense.

After a brief drive through Avignon for nostalgia sake, the fortified city in the picts, and getting lost only to find a McDonalds with free Wi-Fi to get me back on track (will my blasphemy never cease), I made it to Montelimar.  Each town in France are each known for something and the exit signs from the autostada are marked with pictures of it.  No surprise, Montelimar’s was nougat.  I just wish my camera turned on faster.  After a couple scores there it was time to hit the Alps via Grenoble. 

Lucky for me it was a perfectly clear day and the roads were dry.  There is a 12 kilometer tunnel at the top of the pass between France and Italy which costs 36 euro (nevermind the other countless tolls).  Other than that, it was a lot like driving in the Rockies, maybe even easier because the roads here actually felt less steep.

I got to see the sun rise over the water and set in the Alps.  Lovely (and long) day.

I hope you enjoy the picts!

 

 

Long run and F O O D!

Io ho corso ventiquattro chilometri oggi.  I ran 24 kilometers (15 miles) today.  Yesterday, I hid three bottles of water along the way.  SHHHH!  Don't tell anyone.  But, check out the elevation gain!  I had a nice walk about mile 7 (nevermind how long this took me). AND I made it to the store before they closed at 1:30 (VERY important for dinner).  The man behind me in line (that I recognized from yesterdays shopping) ran after me because I forgot one of my purchased borsa/bags.  Molto grazie Signor! 

I’m beginning to realize I’m not the outcast I imagine myself to be.  This slow realization is the result of several encounters over the past few days.  First, today was the second time someone has stopped while I was running and asked me for directions.  Huh?  No parlo Italiano.  Mi dispiace.  ….because of course, I look like I fit in (no laughing at the picture people, it’s cold here).  Second, two people in as many days have made the journey down the narrow forbidding driveway (most neighbors have dogs as an early warning system of visitors, I have a gravel driveway) to visit myself.  The first, a gentleman, of about 45 or 50 years of age, swung his white Rav4 around, nearly hitting my sardine can of a macchina and gently honked his horn.  Seeing as how I was still dressed in appropriate attire from my earlier adventures of the day, I greeted him at the door.  A very distressed gentleman spouted off a few sentences before I could confirm non io capisco.  After a few minutes of preaching to me about something of major concern having to do with camminano (I later translated to “they walk”), the gentleman got frustrated with me and kept looking past me into the house asking for my marito.  Sorry dude…..The second visitor I politely ignored.

My new favorite movie is “A room with a view”.  It’s a little before my generations time from 1985 but it has an actress that went on to co-star with Brad Pitt in Fight Club and Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd (and Alice in Wonderland), Helena Bonham Carter.  Consider this movie a predecessor to Under the Tuscan Sun and Eat, Pray, Love (only with a British girl).

LOOK!  I…..I have made fire.  Of course, I had matches but, whatever, Tom Hanks.

I had 2 votes for ricotta cheesecake.  Here is the recipe http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/sicilian-ricotta-cheesecake/Detail.aspx.  Needs cherries or a raspberry coulis (dang-it, another French word).   The cannoli’s are in-progress.  I still need pistachios and chocolate chips.

Carb loading - minus the wine

 

Where are we going? 

No really, were are we going?

What?

Recovery Drink

  

Snack

Crack

    

  

Ice Packs

fuoco

Pretty

Ingredients for Cheesecake

Ricotta Cheesecake

mmmmmm

French Nougat and Calissons

I totally burnt spaghetti last night.  Ooops.  I’m really not as dumb as you think. The flames from the gas stove were surrounding the pan and the ends sticking over the top got a little crispy, well more like singed, alright burnt.  I’m sure that’s some sort of blasphemy.  Will they kick me out?

Ok, I need input from you guys on a couple things today. 

France - Monday

The last time I ventured to this part of the world I went on a tour of a Nougaterie in Montelimar, France (insert accent over letters at will).  They had not only great nougat, but these little diamond shaped pieces of heaven called calissons made from candied melon and orange peel with almond icing.  Mmmm.  In the 17th century some thought that eating a calisson every day would keep the plague away (insert your snide comment about the French here).  http://www.suprem-nougat.fr/.  I’ve tried to find these gems on amazon.com, and they have them…sometimes…but are overpriced and shipping to the states is about as much as they are.  So, I go to the source.  Monday.

Here’s what I need input on.  I can go to Montelimar through the Swiss Alps or to Aix-en-Provence along the coast through Monaco, Nice and Marseille.  Both cities are 5 hours away.  Both cities have calissons and nougat, though Montelimar is more famous for nougat and Aix-en-Provence for calissons.  Anyone have a preference for pictures they want to see along the way?
  A. Alps
  B. Coast

Dessert – Saturday

While I’m on this sugar kick, I’ve decided tomorrow project is going to make a dessert.  So the second thing I need your vote on:
  1. Tiramisu
  2. Cannoli
  3. Panna Cotta
  4. Ricotta Cheesecake
  5. Torta della Nonna – custard pie with pine nuts and almonds


Have a fabulous weekend all!

  

http://www.suprem-nougat.fr/nougat-montelimar/fabrication-calisson.html

http://www.france-epicurien.com/

Arione

Success!

It only took me two weeks but I finally feel settled in.  Today I had a couple missions and I succeeded in both of them.  Well, first of all, I was supposed to run but there was ice hanging from the vines.  Let’s just postpone that until tomorrow.  Today is for having fun!!

Missions:

1. Buy Arione wine 

2. Plan a trip to France

Arione (Moscato d’Asti)

Arione is I’m told the best Moscato d’Asti around, and it’s in my back yard.  Heck, I run by the sign Strada del Moscato d’Asti every day.  I’ve seen signs for the Arione vineyards and the Cantina’s all over the place but don’t really know where to buy it.  So, with a little guts and the right timing (before the 12:30 to 3:30 closing time for lunch), I found the place.  

First, the wine.  A Moscato d’Asti is a nice fruity, slightly bubbly dessert wine.  I have shared this wine with friends and family who drink very little and they loved it.  The other nice thing about the Moscato is that it’s only about 5.5% alcohol.  A very nice light wine, and also a fun name to say if you roll your r's and hang on to the o.   http://www.arione.it/

So I parked the unimpressive looking fiat Panda (a.k.a. toy car) and walked up to this impressive looking ufficio, pull, nope, push the opaque door open and walk up the clean narrow stairs to the offices and stop!  Now, I have a decision to make here.  I could realize I’m trespassing and leave now, or plunge forward under the pretense of stupidity.  I chose the latter.  

“Buon Giorno – Do you speak English?”  Reply: No.  Great!  Now we’re starting the conversation at ground zero so I can increase my Italian speaking points rather than the deductions I’ve incurred so far.  “Dove compro Arione?”  She opens a book.  Great!  I can buy it here.  I point to the wine I want then say my favorite phrase “Vorrei comprate con la carta di credito”.  Yes!  I pay with a credit card and she starts to tell me where I can pick up my wine.  Dritto…is the only word I recognize.  Straight.  I go out and go strait to the warehouse with my slip to pick it up.  Got it!  And off I go happy as a clam with my new purchase.  Yeah!!!!

France (Aix-in Provence) trip - in search of Nougat and Calissons

I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. 

Oh, and I found kindling (in the form of boxes a supermarket was throwing out), and a dress in case I venture to Milan again to see a ballet at the Teatro alla Scala.  Maybe Jan. 30^th.  More to come…

...and as an extra bonus, I got an e-mail from maratonadiroma saying my registration for the Rome Marathon on March 20th was approved....Yeah!!!  

It only took:

-a note from my doctor downloaded in pdf form, printed off, wet signature, scanning back into electronic form only to e-mail it and upload it to the site.

-uploaded of proof of payment (yes, to the same website I paid from)

-and, proof of belonging to a sports club---so I sent them my gym membership  

After 4 attempts, multiple site crashes and many more check backs.  It WORKED!  Here's to persistence....and to the good ol' US of A utilizing technology efficiently to make our lives simpler.  Ahhh.

Cheers all!

Castiglione Tinella- Arione is on the left

Arione