Road Trip – Munich, Germany

We arrived in Munich in the early evening, so our first stop was dinner at Prinz Myshkin, considered by many to be the best vegetarian restaurant in Munich.

The restaurant and bar were bright, airy, and just trendy enough.

G began with a vibrantly colored beetroot concoction.

I chose a gastro-pleasing Indian curry stew.

Followed by a Thai curry and couscous.

And a vegetable stir-fry with tofu. The food was wonderful and a welcome reprieve from our usual Italian fare.

The next morning, Munich greeted us with gray skies and a persistent drizzle. So, we decided to counteract the day’s dreariness with an extra special breakfast at Dallmayr.

As you can see from the photo above, we went a little overboard. Easy to do at a place as special as Dallmayr where the food is perfection, the service and presentation are a dream, and the coffee is the best I’ve ever had.

Once sufficiently fortified – thanks to Dallmayr – we ventured out to the Marienplatz (St. Mary’s Square) to view the New Town Hall above and observe the famous Glockenspiel strike the hour. Upon striking, the figures emerge to reenact the Schäfferltanz, a dance first performed in 1517 to mark the end of the plague.

In case you’re wondering, that’s the column of St. Mary in front of the New Town Hall. The column commemorates the end of Swedish invasion and is topped by a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary.

After a long day of sightseeing – some of it emotionally taxing (stay tuned) – we left Munich and headed out to Andechs where we drove up a dark hill to reach the monastery at the top.

At first, we thought we’d made a mistake. The place was dark and deserted. We walked down a dark alley into an unmarked building, went up the stairs and were confronted by this: long wooden tables filled with people, beer and pork in Renaissance fair style cuts and sizes!

Absolutely no on spoke English at this place, but we managed to mime and point an order to our jovial server.

This is probably the best thing I ate in Munich. Not because it was so much better than anything else I ate. (It’d be pretty hard to beat Dallmayr.) But because it was exactly what I wanted: a huge beer, a soft pretzel, some sauerkraut, lots of “atmosphere,” and the joyous sound of laughter and glasses clinking everywhere  – perfection!

Arrivederci!

 

Merry Christmas to All

G and I are traveling all next week, so don’t expect any posts until we return in the new year, when I’ll have plenty of new stuff to share with you all. In the meantime, I will leave you with this assortment of holiday images I’ve collected from around town. Auguri!

And last but not least: our very own tabletop Christmas tree. Buon Natale!

Due Cuori – A Love Affair

In an earlier post, I briefly mentioned one of our favorite local restaurants: Due Cuori (Two Hearts). So, today I want to share a bit more about this special little place tucked inside the arcade that surrounds the piazza (below).

Anna – the proprietress – has thoughtfully filled the space with so many special touches.

Immediately upon entering the restaurant, you encounter the old scale above, (a recurring theme in this tiny little space), filled and surrounded by antique silver, crystal, white linen, local baked goods, wine and greens. All hints of what to expect.

If you think the counter above or below has a certain French bistro flair, remember, we are in Biella, near the French border. These two cultures have no doubt informed each other over the many years.

The restaurant has an understated elegance, achieved, in part, by a sense one is dining among found objects collected over the years. I believe the fantastic chandelier below illustrates this aesthetic nicely.

The most wonderful jazz music plays in the background and accompanies the very sensory experience this restaurant offers.

The backbone of every Italian meal. Bread or pane. The bread sticks above are typical in Biella. They are fatter than the bread sticks we’re accustomed to and they have a faint hint of cheese, but still very airy on the inside.

The pasta below is filled with zucca (pumpkin) and sits in a bath of melted Toma cheese. One of the cheeses produced in Biella and found in many of the local dishes here. FYI: Anna sources all her ingredients from only three local farmers.

At the end of the meal, the sting of the bill is softened by its presentation.

Arrivederci!

La Colazione – Breakfast

This past weekend, we decided to venture down the hill, away from our sleepy little piazza, and try the well-known Caffè del Teatro for our usual breakfast: 2 latte machiatos and 2 brioches. The brioches are baked on the premises daily by the caffè’s master baker. Delizioso!

Seems everyone in Biella had the same idea that day, as both the bar (above) and the outdoor patio (below) were humming with weekend foot traffic.

With so much to choose from, it’s no wonder Caffè del Teatro is a local favorite.

And unlike most places in Biella, or Italy for that matter, the Caffè is open until midnight every day. No doubt we’ll be back to sample even more goodies.

Arrivederci!

Il Mercatino & a Recent Acquisition

Sunday, we were out strolling, enjoying the November sun, when we stumbled upon this mercatino (flea market) at the bottom of the hill.

The mercatino was filled with a melange of all sorts of treasures, both old and new. And although there was much to admire and desire, I fell in love with these espresso cups and decided I had to have them.

Arrivederci!

Wines of Piedmont

The romance of the Piedmont wine region – above and below.

Located in the wine country, inside a medieval castle atop a majestic hill, is the Enoteca Regionale della Serra, where 200 types of the Piedmont region’s best wines can be sampled. The castle’s 16c, brick-vaulted, stone-walled wine cellar holds an impressive 20,000 selected bottles of wine for purchase.

All the wines below bear the D.O.C. (Denomination of Controlled Origin) designation. Wines bearing the D.O.C. mark are registered by the government and required to meet certain production standards. For instance, only certain methods of planting, cultivating and fertilizing can be employed in the production of a D.O.C. wine. Maximum yields are controlled, as are bottling specifications, alcohol content and aging. There are currently about 300 D.O.C. wines in all of Italy. In addition to the D.O.C. mark, the wine bottles’ labels must state the wines’ zone of origin.

Lessona D.O.C.

“This is a rare, precious wine produced in the hilly area, from which it takes its name, a few kilometers from Biella.” Lessona wines must be aged for at least two years, and one of those two years must be in a wooden barrel. FYI: This prestigious wine variety was the one used by heads of state to toast the unification of Italy in 1861.

Erbaluce di Caluso D.O.C.

The first white wine ever to earn the D.O.C. designation. “This is one of the few white vines in Piedmont. The production area is the province of Turin, its epicenter.”

Caluso Passito D.O.C.

This dessert wine results from a long process that starts with picking the grapes, carrying them delicately on workers’ shoulders in order to avoid crushing them (the grapes, not the workers), then placing them on a layer of wheat straw spread on grates. The grapes are then left to appassire (a particular drying process) for several months. The wine must be aged for at least five years.

G and I are only too happy to participate in the region’s impressive wine culture.

Arrivederci!

Free To Be…

As mentioned in an earlier post, Biella is a mountain town. As such, it bears many similarities to both Denver and Boulder. The climate and scenery are similar and surprisingly, the people dress and live a similarly outdoorsy lifestyle. Yet, every now and again subtle differences emerge.

No doubt you’re familiar with Italians’ penchant for cleanliness. Bidets, like the one pictured above, are a common fixture in homes and hotel rooms here. The amusing thing about the bathroom in this photo is that it is located inside the offices of a local real estate company!

A condom dispensing machine located outside, on the sidewalk of a busy commercial street. See the photo below for a better look at the machine’s contents. (Notice how many empty slots there are.  Ah Italia!)

I love how Italians temper your expectations. Case in point: the “Very Good” corn flakes below. And really, is there such a thing as an excellent or fantastic bowl of corn flakes? To my mind, this brand is right on the money.

My clothes’ dryer. (Honest. Those are my skivvies peeking out the back.)

Finally, in our super-sized world, I give you my daily 3 p.m. treat, cioccolata calda (hot chocolate) in a very respectable 8oz cup. The only size available in the cafés and cremerias.

Palazzo La Marmora – Home

We are currently residing in an apartment inside the Palazzo La Marmora. Construction on the Palazzo began in the 13c, but wasn’t completed until the 19c. The Neo-Classic style structure consists of five buildings with the main entrance (located above) and a balcony located in the central body. Inside, is a terraced garden that looks out over the lower part of the city. The interior is made up of numerous courtyards (like the one pictured below) and rooms.

Getting From Here to There

Biella is a city split into two distinct parts – upper and lower on the mountain. Although everything is old here, the upper section, where we are currently residing, is considered the ancient, historical part of the city, while the lower, commercial part of the city, is merely just very old.

The other day I walked down the mountain, but soon found out my nerves were not well suited to walking on the side of a very narrow, curvy mountain road with no sidewalk or shoulder, and cars speeding down around the blind turns. So, instead I go down the mountain the only other way possible without a car. I take the funicolare.

The funicolare is a cross between a cog rail and a ski gondola. Frankly, I like it very much. It makes me feel like everyday starts out on an amusement park ride. Such a start can only promise a fun-filled day ahead. No?

Besides, the funicolare offers one of the best sweeping views of the city below. Not a bad ride down. And at the bottom, I’m greeted by a familiar sight from home.

Seems home is anywhere in the world you are.

Our Neighborhood

This is the street in front of the palazzo. It is the one that takes G to work everyday and me on my daily adventures.

The view is towards the piazza.

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The piazza. Looks sleepy doesn’t it? Don’t be fooled.

Behind those shuttered store fronts hide some wonderful places to eat like…

The cremeria where we have our coffee and brioche (Italian croissant) every morning. And…

Due Cuori (Two Hearts) where Anna, the proprietress, serves the most wonderful food. At the end of your meal she brings you the bill on a dish anchored by three dried rose buds. Perfect.

La Civetta (pronounced: La Cheeveta). This is Benito’s restaurant where we get the most deeply satisfying bowl of vegetable soup twice a week. Upon seating, someone immediately brings you a small bowl of locally produced cheese infused with garlic and freshly sliced bread. A little bit of heaven.

This ancient structure ushers you out of the piazza and the historic part of town into the mountains.