Hi again to all,


And yes I am writing two days in a row... shock horror does this mean “the week that was” is winding up again into its former glory...

So there I am riding my bike to work this morning (yes you heard it correctly) I ride a bike to work, it was a balmy 22 degrees at 6.30am... I chose to ride through the beautiful old Toronto University as it brings out my inner academic. As I ride I quote Shakespeare and hum Wolfgang's early works (or as I know him Wolfy) I also ponder the theory of relativity “general relativity” that is..........

(General relativity is a theory of gravitation developed by Einstein in the years 1907–1915. The development of general relativity began with the equivalence principle, under which the states of accelerated motion and being at rest in a gravitational field (for example when standing on the surface of the Earth) are physically identical. The upshot of this is that free fall is inertial motion; an object in free fall is falling because that is how objects move when there is no force being exerted on them, instead of this being due to the force of gravity as is the case in classical mechanics. This is incompatible with classical mechanics and special relativity because in those theories inertially moving objects cannot accelerate with respect to each other, but objects in free fall do so. To resolve this difficulty Einstein first proposed that spacetime is curved. In 1915, he devised the Einstein field equations which relate the curvature of spacetime with the mass, energy, and momentum within it).

........and low and behold I round the corner and come upon this picturesque nature vista (see attached photo)...

two things are strange here;
(1) is simple... Racoons are not usually out during the day
(2) Why do Racoons always look like they have been caught in the act and or like burglars...?
Regardless of that he was so hot and thirsty that apart from keeping an eye on me the little fella let me get about 10' from him before lifting his head and snarling...

For those of you who are obviously wondering (and will more than likely ask) what is the other Theory of Relativity?? It is “Special” now there are some big words in here so some may have to do homework... there will be a pop quiz tomorrow...

Special relativity is a theory of the structure of spacetime. It was introduced in Albert Einstein's 1905 paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (for the contributions of many other physicists see History of special relativity). Special relativity is based on two postulates which are contradictory in classical mechanics:
1. The laws of physicsare the same for all observers in uniform motionrelative to one another (principle of relativity),
2. The speed of lightin a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion or of the motion of the source of the light.
The resultant theory agrees with experiment better than classical mechanics, e.g. in the Michelson-Morley experiment that supports postulate 2, but also has many surprising consequences...
.....you look it up as I’m sick of telling you everything...

So that’s all for now, I look to the fore to communicating with you all presently... and no I have not been drinking...
Cheers
Toronto Pip
Global Bloke of Ambiguity

Moose Hunting in Algonguin Park

Its spring, the perfect time for Moose Hunting (avec camera NOT gun) in Algonquin Park. Early Saturday morning we gathered the girls next door, Happy and Susie, their two dogs Snoopy and Zora, and our Mcgregor and headed for Huntsville, just north of Muskoka , southwest of Algonquin, the huge wilderness park on the Canadian Shield, with eyes out on stilts for our first view of a gangly fifteen foot Moose. (Our quest for Moose began in 2005, though we've hunted them in Cape Breton,Nova Scotia; Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, upstate New York, Ontario and Quebec, we are still without a sighting!)

First stop (and unlikely Moose sighting venue) was the newly zooped up area around the wharf at Lake Muskoka to see the RMS Segwun, the oldest steam ship still operating in North America. In 2005 we took a gentle 3 hour cruise on her with my parents and happily discovered the joys of a Canadian iconic beverage served on board.....the Ceasar a mix of clam juice, tomato juice,vodka, spiced with Tabasco, the glass rimmed with celery salt and garnished with lime and a long stalk of celery avec leaves.

Muskoka is the heart of Cottage Country. Everyone has a Cottage (bach at the lake) and everyone bails from the city Friday night and heads for Cottage Country ( to get away from the fetid humidity of the city during July and August when temps can hover easily for weeks around the 30+C.) It's the thing to do and magazines, TV programmes and books stock the shelves at this time of year purporting the coolest and best for your cottage this summer.

Families spend up to 8 weeks at their cottages while the kids are off school for the months of July and August. Canadian Mums really know how to take summer break with the kids, graced with reliable heat and fine skies. There are huge family traditions attached to these cottages and it all revolves around the outdoors and lake, socialising in party boats, around fire pits and grilling (bbqing in our speak......although bbq up here is smoking your meat off direct heat, low and slow, spice rubbed then mopped with sauce to blackened smokey deliciousness). It's not uncommon to see float planes peeling off to land at remote or close by bays, the family pouring out with dogs while Dad ties the plane to the dock or mooring! Celebrity hideouts and the tucked away retreats for local multimillion/billionaires abound amongst the more modest cottages, with over 600 lakes even the most world weary celeb can hide out up here and do!

Needless to say our float plane remained parked in never never land  and we took the more usual route via four wheels on Hwy 400 to Cottage Country.

There is more water in these parts than land so finding a cute lake to hike around the first day was easy peasy. Huntsville, now famous as the site for the coming G8 meetings, is a quaint lakeside village with open public access to beach and the waters edge. Teens were swimming from the town dock whilst smart fizz boats tied up at lakeside pubs and restaurants.

After poutine and a burger grilled lakeside at the "Cabin" (a local burger shack) we headed for a walking track nearby which took us through pretty woods carpeted with forget-me-nots and wallflowers along the lake edge. Not officially summer yet, this was our first chance to break out the swimmers and both Pip and I took advantage of a floating dock attached to the walkway to chance the black lake waters for a swim. My boyfriend took the plunge first, meaning I had to save face and follow. A kid further along the dock was trying to get her big brothers to go in with her so she and I teamed up and jumped in together....brrrrrrrrrrrrr!! it was pretty frosty beneath the surface but after another couple of jumps we were having fun. Air temps were already above 26C so pretty yummy really.

Pub on the Docks at Huntsville; Pip and Ju apres swim with Snoopy, Mac, Susie and Zora the Sheltie

With no Moose sightings to report and the doggies tired out from walking and swimming we left them sleeping at our digs at days end and headed to town for dinner. We scored a table on the top deck of the Pub on the Docks, drank cooling beer and ate pub grub until the sun set behind us. The view (our stunning blonde waitress added to Pip's enjoyment of the event) and warm air were so lovely. Its hard to describe how amazing it is to sit out like this over the water when you live in a downtown building with 120 other families surrounded by high rise every which way you turn. Being out in the countryside, amongst trees and water is shockingly wonderful. Also shockingly wonderful was our stop at the Nutty Chocolatier for gelato and ice-cream for the afters! (Our second stop there that day...ooops!)

Next day dawned perfectly and we loaded up our tribe of Moose Hunters and headed for the Algonquin Park. Our drive took us past Delta Grand View Resort Golf Course which look fab set along the lake, Native Indian stores and Lakeside lodges and campgrounds. All of which we hope to explore later this summer.

Sadly no browsing Moose loitering along the highway but hopes were still high.

Canoe Lake Map

Fifteen dollars buys the park permit needed to drive in the park, another thirty bucks per canoe saw us set for our adventure on Canoe Lake. Kitted out in life jackets we hefted the doggies amidships in each canoe and set forth for Tom Tomson's Cairn about 4ks up the lake, where a headland sporting a totem pole is dedicated to Tom, the most famous of all Canadian Artists.

Canadian canoeing is not the most comfortable sport I've ever undertaken, more partial to the one man kayak than this upright one sided paddling action. Anyhooo its a great way to see the great outdoors and means that Mac, to his complete horror, gets to share our adventure. Settled unhappily on his 'faux fur' rug he panted the whole day away desperate for the torture to end, poor darling, though once ashore he was a pig in it getting dirtier than Snoopy (tiny black poodle) or Zora (very pretty sheltie) within five minutes of his swim.

Idling the day away paddling, we cruise past two famous Algonquin Summer Camps for kids (just exactly as depicted in all those movies..the girls camp on one shore and the boys camp on an island just a damn good moonlight swim away!) These old camps were wonderful and in six weeks time will be thronging with city kids getting their summer vacation sans parents and concrete jungle.

Lunch at Tom Tomson's cairn; our canoes; views south on Canoe Lake

Wildlife, which you would expect to abound in this wilderness park, seems very sparse and shy. Birdsong is ripe in the air but no waterfowl yet, whatever birds that migrate to this lake haven't got here yet! We reach our camp spot for lunch without sighting even a flutter of Moose ears and set up camp. Pip spots a fish in the clear water by the dock and the dogs swim like mad. Once again the Big Boy beats me in so once again I inch my way into the copper brownish lake water, this time its a lot warmer...maybe its shallower than yesterdays black depths.

We chat to passing canoeists returning from 5 day excursions, portaging their canoes (carrying between lakes) to 6 different lakes, camping out in the wilderness. It sounds so romantic but...not so sure about the carrying the canoe and all the gear bit!

Later we hike up to the Totem on the hill and take in the still lake view. The air here smells like fresh air...something Happy remarked on in the car driving here this morning. "I like that smell" she said sniffing at the open window.  I replied.,"That's called fresh air!" Crazy but when you get into a fresh air zone you really really can smell the difference. Then its exaggerated when you drive past the groves of wild Lilac on the roadside which perfume the air like some exotic paradise.

Pip hiking to Totem Pole; Dirty little white dog; lunch; Mac sunbathing; chowing down on the dock.

After lunch we paddled across the lake to an inlet well known for browsing wildlife. We came upon a Loon, preening itself in the sunshine. The call of these birds is the most Iconic sound of Canadian wilderness. Its eerie high call sounds across the lake in the evening and morning. Their long beaked heads and distinctive black and white markings are unique. Apart from our Loon we flushed out a small family of Canada Geese and some songbirds in the trees but alas no Moose.

At the end of the day I was glad to see the Portage store appear around the corner. We gave back our sturdy double ended aluminium canoes and headed for the beach to swim and let the dogs have some more exercise.

Portage Store; campers returning; Pip in the swim; Susie; Pip and Zora

After a cultural stop for the benefit of Quebecers Happy and Susie at the Kawartha Dariy Company for more ice-cream, (famous in these parts) Pip steered our chariot homeward and into static traffic..suddenly our 3.5 hour trip was looking scarily like 5-6  so we hightailed it off into the countryside at Barrie,(Lake Simcoe) and drove all the way home down Yonge Street (we live at Yonge and Isabella). Supposedly the longest street in the world Yonge Street took us through grain farms with huge old barns and soaring silos, then the upmarket suburb Forrest Hill then down past the Toronto Ladies Golf Club and into our neck of the woods.

Celebrating Victoria Day and commiserating on the lack of Moose we drank a little wine on our balcony, grilled (bbqued) some hot dogs and onions, smeared these between bread with mustard and ketchup, pickles and sauerkraut and called it a day!

Mothers Day and other more ordinary events

Mcgregor has a new BDF (best doggie friend). Meet Henry Briscoe from across the street. Henry and his mum Lori join us for walks around the streets and parks of Rosedale and Yorkville . Its soooo nice for Mac and I to have friends to walk with! Henry is up front in the shot above, Mac is looking a bit sulky in the back coz Henry just scarfed half a brie from the cheeseboard while we had our backs turned and he missed out! A few days after this shot Pip and I took the shears and sissors to Henry and gave him a spring clip. We've been grooming Mac for years now but this was our first 'other dog'. Pip does the shearing with clippers then I do the tail, ears, head, skirt and legs with these lovely blunt ended curved sissors. Now the two westie boys look very smart, like twins, though Henry has one floppy ear which is the giveaway!

Monday night Pip hit the kitchen and whipped up THE most delicious pork tenderloin stuffed with prunes and gouda, sweet potato mash and salad with balsamic dressing. OMG...so yumpalumpious! Ontario pork is the best we've ever tasted (unlike the lamb which is not), its so luscious and lean and delish! My boy cooked this to perfection....no recipe... just winged it. Gotta love a man who can cook like this!!

Making the most of the warmer weather we dined outside again, this time it was my turn to produce. I love making these little pizzas using whole wheat tortillas for a super thin crusty base. Homemade parsley and coriander pesto, goats cheese and finely sliced beef made a good combo, as did chipotle red sauce,  caramelized onions, red peppers and goats cheese.  These little gems are my lazy night option, using whatever I have in the fridge to create diff combos each time. My super fav is tiny nuggets of pork sausage, caramelized onions and fresh sage over a chipotle bbq sauce!

Our lovely neighbours Happy and Susie invited us for an Indian Banquet on friday night. The night before I'd gone with them to a Halal market to buy the ingredients. Very Cool. This place was mecca for spices, flours and rice and a whole range of veggies and herbs that I'd not seen before. We came away with bags of Gram (Besan) flour for the Pakora, spices to make garam masala, beautifully decorated cotton bags of rice, fresh chutneys like the very green hot mint chutney, sweet chunky mango, deep smooth hot mango and tamarind. Last stop was the dessert store where for $8.00 a pound you choose from a selection of luscious, syrupy tiny cakes, some gilded with silver leaf, others with hints of coconut or rosewater.

Happy,a Punjabi from Quebec, showed me how to make the best Pakora I've ever eaten. With her bare hands she mixes the gram flour and spices like garam masala, cumin, tumeric, paprika, chili, coriander seeds (which are the singing note in these crispy vege treats), coating finely sliced onion, potato,eggplant and spinach. She gradually mixed in water and plain yogurt until she had a fairly runny batter. Deep frying little clusters of veggies in batches until deep golden brown, she sopped up the last of the batter mix with bread cut into cubes and fried these too. OMG. This is a true good for you bad for you mix. All those veggies spices and yogurt balanced out by the frying but the end result is soooo divine. Served with a mix of chutney's and spiced yogurt they are a meal in themselves.

We celebrated Mothers Day on Saturday (NZ time) with breakfast with the girls. This time Happy's flatmate Susie cooked us French toast to die for. Susie is French Canadian from north of Quebec city and it showed. Her french toast was sublime. Her secret was to use one egg per slice of bread, just a dash of milk, cinnamon and a tablespoon of maple syrup which helps to get that incredible crisp carmelized crust and soft delish centre. Served with bananas, Maple butter from the Isle d'Orleans,Quebec and real Maple Syrup it was the perfect taste Quebec.

My Mothers day outing with dog and dogfather was to the Big Bass Pro shop!!! The mecca for outdoorsmen (and women) in North America. This huge store, kitted out like a hunting lodge displaying  wildlife, game and fish native to these parts was actually very cool. All animals displayed, except the fish like the longnosed Gar seen above swimming in the huge freshwater tank, were long dead!!

We were quite taken by the cute raccoon, especially as Pip had just encountered its very large cousin on the way to work one day this week. We occasionally see him stealing eggs from nests in the trees behind us! Moose are the big deal up here too and its sad to say that hundreds are shot for sport each year. The Moose get their own back and kill a few motorists everyear in the spring. These funy looking creatures who browse in lakes and marshy areas, can be seven feet high at their shoulders, their heads massive and can be as tall as fifteen feet!!

The Big Bass Pro store is so huge this seaplane was dwarfed. There were speed boats, canoes and kayaks, party boats (glam floating pontoons set up with all around seating, tables and booze fridge), atvs that looked liked jeeps, more fishing rods and lures than is sane, guns, guns and more guns!!, crossbows, hunting fashion gear, decoys of every type of wildlife to use for target practice, a laser shooting range, camping gear with rows of tents set up, amazing smokers that look like small steam engines, huge fish tank, etc etc etc.!

We'd thought we'd buy a fishing rod for the lake but were bamboozled by the selection. Some research is needed before we make a purchase. We saw 15ft surf casters for $80 which seemed very reasonable and these great reels that have depth counters and covered spools so no tangles. Pip left muttering someting about a shopping spree before we return to NZ!

Kensington Market and Chinatown in Toronto

Weekends spent wandering the ethnic markets of Toronto are fun and gastronomically satisfying. After squiring me to a night at the Opera on saturday night to see Marriage of Figaro at the lovely old Elgin Theatre  (sets designed by our friend Gerard Gauci), Pip's desire for Yum Char (Dim Sum) had to be appeased ,so we headed out on Sunday morning with our neighbours Happy and Susie.

Mexican specialty stores in Kensington Market

Fresh veg and herb stalls

A walk round Kensington Market under a drizzly sky, to shop for Mexican specialty items like smoked dried poblano and chipotle peppers took us past fish marts selling salt cod, fruit and veg stalls and hippy style boutiques selling vintage clothing.

Butcher offering tripe, tongue, feet and tails front and centre!

We stopped for a great coffee then headed for Chinatown just a block away. Opting this time not to eat at Rol San where you order from a menu, we chose to take the girls to Sky Dragon where the carts are wheeled around. Best plate of the day was the blanched Pea Shoots with a chili soy dipping sauce.

Dim Sum with friends

Char Siu bbq stores and Asian specialty stores abound in Chinatown.

Later we browsed Spadina above Dundas checking out the Char Siu shops, crazy dessert and pastry shops picking up a slice of green tea cake for pud.

Crazy palette of colors in Dessert shop.

After a spot of Wi Golf at Happy and Susies apartment, a lovely bottle of bordeaux, we shared Julie and Julia's Poulet Roti a la Normande served with noodles and peas and a Chilean sav blanc. I cooked and took the dish across the hallway to their dining table!. Susie dished up Rhubarb and Strawberry pie with stewed fresh berries and cream for pud. Delish!

Julie does Julia's Poulet Normande

Visitors from New York!

An influx of visitors from Hoboken is a new spring phenom in our little part of Toronto. First the Paladino family avec NZ nanny paid a fleeting overnight visit to our apartment while we were in Europe. Rowan and Jim brought the kids up to Niagara Falls and a quick whisk around the sights of Toronto. Sadly they’d left by the time we got home.

Three days after arriving back home, Mac and Jennifer drove up from NYC for a long weekend. Arriving on Friday afternoon Jennifer and I dived straight into Julie and Julia style kitchen antics with my new best friend Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French cooking.

Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon was the dish de jour along with tiny minted steamed potatoes, and buttered peas.
We braised tiny cipolini onions in red wine and broth then sauteed mushrooms following Julia’s instructions to the letter. We browned the meat (Jennifer did actually) then drowned everything in red wine and cooked for the required hours.

Meantime Mac (Mcgregor) arrived home from London (Ontario!) with Uncle Mark and Uncle Chris amidst the chaos of the Hartshorns arrival, my baking an orange syrup cake and prepping for the Boeuf Bourg.

After a couple of drinks the Uncles left to party the night away in Toronto and we headed up to Panorama  for a drink on the 51st floor balcony overlooking the city, harbour and islands as the sun went down.

Cherry Beach on a chilly April morning.

Keen to show off our new hometown to our Noo Jersey mates we power toured as many of our fav places as we could without being too frenetic. Pre-breakfast walk at Cherry Beach, Lobster buying at the Chines market and a real Canadian brunch at St Lawrence Market set us up for the day.

A trip up the 533m (1870ish ft) CN tower sorted the men from the acrphobiacs. Pip and I really did not want to walk on the glass floor but both did in varied degrees. (Well I toed it!) Snow showers swept through beneath the tower to envelope Toronto in misty spring clouds. Once down from the tower we split up, the girls heading for Yorkville to window shop, the boys for Yorkville to prop up Hemmingways bar.

We steamed 6 lobsters in wine for dinner, a la Julia Child. Jennifers old friend Susan and husband joined us for a fun evening.

Julie and Julia's lobsters steamed in wine!

Sunday we walked along the waterfront boardwalk, then met Susan for lunch at the Rosedale Diner on the back patio. The diner is a local icon, the foods great.  Pip and I had lunched earlier in the week alongside Laura Calder of French Cooking at Home fame.

Monday morning saw the weary Hartshorn’s headed for Niagara and a lunch date in Pennsylvania then home to Hoboken by nightfall. Pip sloped off to work and I collapsed on the sofa in the sun with little Mac and a cup of tea and put my feet up for the first time in three weeks. Good times had by all.

Rome, Rosie and Rambunctious good times.

Arriving in Rome was a delight. Sunshine, green grass, sping foliage and terracotta villas were my first impression. Our shuttle driver gave us a lovely scenic tour past the Palatino ( I was thrown by the terracotta brick walls and pillars, expecting shining white marble!!!), Roman Forum, Vittorio Emmanuel and Piazza Navona on the way to our loft in Governo Vecchio, a narrow winding street that Popes of old used on their way to cross the Tiber to the Vatican. Now its lined with funky boutiques, cafes, bars, vintage stores and the most covetable faux flower store ever!. Take any lane leading from Governo Vecchio and you’ll find another treasure trove!

Street sights on the way to our Apartment

Governo Vecchio

Our apartment was large and would be split into two later in the week when two more kiwis arrived. Books, antiques and interesting objects made the place feel very comfortable. We had just sat down at the neighbouring café adorned with the lilac chairs and yellow ranunculus on each table, when Rosie appeared. It was gorgeous to see her again in her new home town! After a well needed caffe we hoofed it with Rosie, eager to get our Roma adventure underway.

Pantheon

Meeting Dunph at his office (also an art gallery) in Piazza Mattei, we arranged to meet up a little later for lunch after we visted the Pantheon. To say the Pantheon is a miracle is an understatment. It is a miracle! Standing under the oculus (that word sounds sooo Dan Brown!) you feel the weight of the incredible curving ceiling and marvel at its technical perfection. Lucky for us there were relatively few people there and it did feel like a sacred place of calm.

Streets along the Tiber

After a walk across the Ponte Fabricio to the Isola Tiberina where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck took an unexpected dip in Roman Holiday we walked through the jewish ghetto to Sora Margherita in Piazza delle Cinque Scole for pranzo (lunch). Marks fav lunch spot. Apart from nearly choking on a stupendously delicious fried artichoke we shared a riotous lunch with Rosie and Dunph at this tiny hole in the wall spot. Everything was totally delicious and authentic and the perfect start to our gastronmic adventures in Roma! I've just found a recipe for these crispy fried artichokes in the Silver Spoon so look forward to trying them out at home.

Sora Margherita

Later we met for aperitivo’s by the Fontana delle Tartarughe at Piazza Mattei, at Bar Taruga.

Fontana delle Tartarughe in Piazza Mattei

We must have gone to Rosies apartment that day and sat on the roof terrace but after the wine at lunch I lost track of the order to the day. I also lost my favorite sciarpa grigia (grey scarf) Needless to say Rosie has the most divine view of the skyline of Rome. All the great monuments and ruins can be seen. Totally romantic, I kept having to pinch myself as we sat sunning ourselves amongst rooftop gardenias and rosemary bushes watching a redheaded lady hang her colorful sheets on the rooftop nearby.

View from Rosies rooftop garden

Days melded into days as we traversed this romantic city by foot, cab, and pushbike! A private tour of the vatican with Emiliano Mochi was a special treat. We shortcut the lines and lapped up his informed gossip about the vatican treasures and lives of Popes and artists Raphael and Michelangelo. Explaining Raphaels radical use of perspective in the design (cartoons) for tapestries, the little Black Boy statue (3rd down on left) and the destruction and reconstuction of the Pieta (2nd from right at bottom) just a couple to mention.

Vatican City with Emiliano

We fell in love with Campo di Fiori for its daily market and nightly party zone. It seemed unbelievable that the rythmn of this place flowed daily from colorful produce market erected and dismantled 365 days a year. In the early evening (la sera) the road sweepers and trucks roll in and cart and clean the marche debris away. By night (la notte) Rome’s local and expat youth’s party at the bars while tourists and locals mingle at the outdoor restaurants.

Fresh produce daily at Campo de Fiori

Rosie introduced us to her fav sights and streets which was a pleasure. Wisteria bloomed along narrow Via Margutta scenting the air were locals shop in ultra fab interior, art and antique galleries. Tad store on Via Del Babuino (http://www.wetad.it/)was a visual delight.

Old friends in an very old town!

Cycling the gardens of the Villa Borghese

Piazza del Popolo under the Borghese gardens and overlooked by the Medici Villa was a lovely place to start a walk. We had lunch at Gusto (http://www.gusto.it/osteria-roma.htm)one day, then hired bikes up in the Borghese gardens and pedaled to the Modern Art museum there.

The Spanish steps were crowded with youths lounging around just as they had in the old film starring Warren Beatty and Vivien Leigh 'the Roman Spring of Mrs Stone'. The apartment and balcony used in the movie can be seen clearly from the steps.

Spanish Steps

We were touched by an odd phenomenon when we finally found the Fontana di Trevi…all day we’d have coins jingling in our pockets…but slowly through the day we’d offloaded them as tips…now when all we needed was one measly coin not one was to be found! The legend goes that once you throw your coin over your left shoulder you will ensure good fortune and swift return to Roma. Looks like there’s no going back for us!(http://www.yourwaytoflorence.com/roma.htm)

Fontana di Trevi

Rome is the city of water, beautiful fountains decorate piazza’s everywhere and all are pristine and sparkling clean. The water here is like nowhere else. Something to do with the limestone that filters it.

Vittorio Emmanuel II Monument

Vittorio Emmanuel II is a huge wedding cake of a monument rising high above the Rome skyline but not higher than St Peters Dome. We often used it as our compass bearing to find our way home. At night from Rosies balcony illuminated against that clear Roman sky we watched gulls circling endlessly in its lights.

Roman Forum and Palatino

One afternoon we walked the ruins of the Roman Forum and  the Palatine hill under bright blue Roman skies. Definitely my favorite place in Rome, the Palatino with its marble and terracotta ruins, green scented gardens and air filled with so much history that it resonates. History comes alive as you walk past the place Julius Ceasar died, legends and lives of those famous emperors and patricians loom large amongst the decay of their city. You can’t really believe you’re a part of it! I couldn’t help but think of the common brick makers and the marble hewers who laboured their lives away for the patrician occupants of the Forum and Palatine hill!

Details from the Forum

Strangely the Colosseo had a very different effect on me. I felt it was a place where mans cruel and baser instincts had been encouraged, to me it was filled with sadness and horror and death. Not somewhere that resonated in a good way at all. I was pleased when that tour was over!

Rosie whipping up a fabulous meal!

We met Rosie and Mark each night for drinks and dinner. Whether it was meeting Paul and Mickey  (kiwi‘s from Auckland) at the apartment for a family dinner (Rosie’s food was gorgeous and her Semifreddo for pudding was too die for..I am hoping to pry the recipe from her) or cruising little wine bars full of eccentric expats and locals we managed to chat to people and make ourselves understood with our pidgin Italiano. Pip seemed to become more fluent as the night progressed…the language of vino rosso is universal! Bar Taruga is a cute place in Mark's square where the owner and friends gather round the grand piano and make music nightly for a slightly gay crowd so we felt right at home! At times these nights felt like scenes from a movie, the settings so crazy romantic and Italian, the people so vibrant and full of energy.

Late night Gelato’s at Campo (di Fiori) or a Pizza at a street café became our pre-turn-in ritual. Strolling around amongst the happy crowds late at night was such fun as was the perilous climb into our loft bedroom each night to sleep beneath a red heart shaped light under a milky skylight that lit the room.

A day in Naples beside the sea was a lovely break from the city. My yearning for salt air and fishing nets was swiftly assuaged when we stumbled literally on the Barcadero, a tiny fishermans bar set in the lee of Castel del’Ouovo. We sat in the sun just inches from gently rocking fishing dories and watched fascinated as fishermen rowed or puttered into the bay, dropping off their boat to a waiting boatmen who ferried them ashore.

Barcadero and Castel del’Ouovo.

We walked the shoreline all day, stopping here and there for caffe and sfogliatelle, a syrup drenched crispy shelled pastry with a luscious mandarin flavored ricotta filling and a little later in the day aperitivo’s. Orangeade and Campari sounds scary but is a delicious drink I’d had years ago in Villefranche near Monte Carlo and never been able to recreate. We tossed back a couple of these accompanied by little dishes of fat green morish olives and chips.

Fish shacks sell shellfish straight off the boat.

Finally after another couple of hours walking it was time for a sundown bottle of rose at Il Terasse, back at the fishermans basin we started out at hours before. Eurorail, fast train sped us back along the coast through rural farms and hills to Roma. Night was falling in time for another walk from Termini station (the line up for taxi’s was far too long for these ‘get-er-done’ folks to consider), so we tripped our way, mapless this time, all the way to Governo Vecchio where we collapsed into seats at the neighboring restaurant Mimi and Coco and ate yet again!

Villa Pamphilli above Trestevere

For our final day Rosie proposed lunch in the gardens of the Villa Pamphilli. We walked home through the ground of the lovely old Villa, winding our way down the hill to Trastevere and the Tiber. (We'd tried to get a table at da Augustos in Trastevere one night but no luck..arrive before 7 if you want a table).

Mickey up the Orange Tree in Pamphilli Gardens!

Gardens and terraces in Rome are adorned by huge orange trees. Fascinated by the bumpy large fruit Mickey Batemen takes to the tree tops to find us one to sample. Sadly though the skins and flowers are aromatic the fruit is extremely dry and sour! Yes we all tried one!

Polle e salvia, parmigiano della Melzana, Fagioli de fava insalate.

We met later for dinner at her apartment where we nibbled first on sublime burrata mozzerella and proscuitto. I made my fava bean, pea and mushroom salad (but got too tiddly to peel the fava’s ….note to self…always peel fava’s before drinking wine!), Rosie dished up divine chicken and sage wrapped in proscuitto and for afters we dipped biscotti in vin santo before heading out to a bar in Piazza Mattei.

Farewell drinks at Piazza Mattei

And that’s where it all gets a little hazy. Carlos, local hairdresser and body painter extraordinaire joined us for farewell drinks until the wee hours. I stopped drinking after a couple or three Lemoncello's, Pip however proceeded to continue drinking grappa!

Much Much Later!

Our shuttle was booked for 4.15am next morning, with that in mind we staggered home about 2.30am. Pip promptly crashed on the sofa so I finished packing, dragged the big red case down the precipitous stairs, paced up and down so as not to fall asleep in the ensuing hours until I heard the door buzzer. Finagling a more than tipsy Pipster down the narrow hallway, juggling rolly bags and my own not so clear head we managed to rendezvous with our shuttle man and fell in a heap in his rather sagging back seats for the trip out to Fumicino Airport.

I have to say, aeroporto security when you’re still half cut is a breeze in Italia, must be par for the courso over thereo! A quick flight to Charles de Gaulle then a rather unfortunate wait before boarding Air France to Toronto all seemed to swing by in a long slow wuzzy blur.

Back in ‘Oh Canada’ whipping along the Gardiner in the back of a Lincoln towncar (we thought of you Jim-bob!) then walking into our newly redecorated pad was a breath of fresh air and a lovely welcome home. Sinking onto our huge comfy bed we both agreed we were stoked to be home after an awesome holiday.