Cool gadget

So this is so cool.  It is some type of frother.  It is battery operated and froths milk for coffee or for whatever.  Its my new favorite gadget.  see the video and photo

Il Chiodo Fisso and my great neighborhood

This lovely little bundle is how they pack the little pastries that I bought today at a local pastry shop.  I got to walk home with this beautiful package and it was a gift to me! So much to be thankful for.

Read the reviews.  Went tonight and had a GREAT meal.  We have been eating ourselves through various guides for 2 weeks and this is one of the best.  I had the Saltimbocca or Jump in the mouth- yummy, the sauce had the traditional butter,wine and sage, lots of sage this time. It was salty but not so too much like other places I have eaten this.  The Fantasy of grilled vegetables- very nice and naturally sweet vibrant flavors of zucchini, eggplant and yellow peppers, and the special dessert Seadas- OMG ( i am not a fan of the saying but ... here it fits) fried dough, like a ravioli but bigger and better, similar to a thicker sopapilla which we have in New Mexico, filled with the right amount of cheese all melty when you cut into it, maybe a saltier cheese than mozzarella, like a provolone but still mild and then drizzled with honey and a very light dust of powdered sugar and perhaps lemon zest ( I ate it so fast I cant say exactly).  So worth it. Even the table bread was perfection, crusty crust and soft moist inside.  A favorite for sure and a nice way to spend Thanksgiving, very understated and really a non event but a really good meal.

Clementines and the produce

Oh my clementine.  How beautiful are these!  From a local Fruiteria.  These, when peeled, perfume the entire apartment.  Sweet like sugar and the flavor so intense!

Lamb and a trip to the "ghetto"

Da Francesco

Oh my lamb, this restaurant was in the top 10 book I have and it was so good.  A roasted piece of lamb.  Not sure what piece but it was fantastic.  This is close to the school and a favorite.  There is also a local spot by school that doesn't seem to have a sign with a name.  It has several meat dishes that are so tender, like it cooked for hours, and probably did.  One is served with peas and mushrooms that have been cooked with the veal and have absorbed the juices.  Delicious.   They serve the meal with huge bread rolls that are crusty on the outside and hollow in the center.  Perfect for lopping up the remaining juices from the roast.  They also have a pasta with eggplant, fantastic.  It seems that the eggplant is roasted until super sweet.

Today the meal was a meal at Sora Margaritta, again no sign and so good.  Our waitress suggested that she bring us dishes.  First a deep fried artichoke, no breading just fried to a crisp so good.  The a batter dipped zucchini flower stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy.  good, it would be great if I liked anchovies.  A soup with fish and cauliflower, interesting but I dont need to have it again.  Pasta with ricotta and cheese and black pepper.  Some sort of sausage, pinky red inside great flavor and served in a deep orange sauce with big beans.  Im normally not a fan of beans but this was so good  I am finding that much of the food I am eating is very salty and I mean very.  I was wondering if it is because people smoke... then came the lamb legs just skinny strips of fat on the bone the best taste of lamb I think I have ever eaten.  Lets see , Oh we also had a Roman dish that is a type of shredded green shoot with anchovy and oil.  its only found in Rome I could take a pass next time.  Ill try to get the name.  Then Spinach deeply flavored and likely with some type of meat.  I finally told the waitress Basta.  enough stop.  The guide said it was a reasonably priced place. the meal for 2 was 87 euros.  like $120.  so not so reasonable.  but worth the experience.

Thru friends at school I have found a bar that has a happy hour.  One drink and all you can eat for 6 or 7 Euros.  and the food is pretty good.  I think the actual name is Apperitivo.  It is near school and a bit of a scene.  So many experiences....

Ostia Antica-

My camera died upon arrival at this ancient city by the sea.  So my cell had to do with its limitations.  This is an ancient city that was abandoned and restored on several occasions much activity around 120AD. I have not yet figured out how to turn photos so some may look odd.  Terms, like bath houses were all over here some very grand and other simple.  I have included a few photos of an ancient restroom/toilet room. Here are a few of this place, it took us 5 hours to walk around and we did not cover it all!

An old "bar"

Marble counter from 120 AD

Latrine/ Toilet

looks like old drywall with insulation , ventilation or a consendation preventer

layers of the wall

The trees were beautifully manicured.

This city was excavated and an enormous tonnage of debris was taken off to uncover these ruins.

 

Pasta with Pancetta, Salted capers, Tomatoes

Pasta with Pancetta, capers and tomato ( one serving :)  )

1 Slice of Pancetta cut into small cubes

1 T Salted capers rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped canned Tomatoes

1 portion of Pasta

Optional: 1-2 T cream

Saute pancetta slowly for 10 mins until fat rendered.

While pancetta sauteing bring pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta.  (Timing should be that when pasta done sauce is done.)

Add capers and tomatoes and 1/4 cup pasta water let simmer until thick add drained pasta and swirl to coat.

Optional add 1-2 T of cream for an extra rich sauce, the cream pick up the flavor of the pancetta so well.

I'm finding that in Italy pasta is served with much less sauce than in the States.

Ask Dad about the name of this hotel

Thanks Graham for the information about the Tiber river and the Colosseum.  I saw this building tonight, ask your dad about this name... I have some more pictures on another post too from walking around at night.  Love you

Rome at night

Happy to say I am enjoying activities that lead well into the night, yes the Italian night which has had me out and up until midnight.  Not so late by Italian standards but for me bedtime has been 9-10pm for years and I didn't like to leave the house after 5pm most nights.  This being said I no longer get up at 6am either.  So far Ive eaten dinner 4 times at 9pm, one night out of pure exhaustion and a huge late lunch I decided that a dinner of amaretti, Nutella and tea (cookies, chocolate spread) would be sufficient. :)

Tonight a walking tour that took me around the area of the Pantheon.  I visited during the day but to see the city at night and the Basilica at night was another experience all together.  Our tour guide arranged by the school was Sylvia a beautiful Italian lady with an understated classy and fashionable style I admired. She was a wealth of information about the days of the Roman Spas and the changes that occurred as the times changed. She shared many historical and architectural facts that Im sure were fascinating, but as my Italian is only 3 days old I didn't understand much as the tour was given only in Italian as is everything we do with the school so as to be immersed.  Once I let my brain go, I was amazed at how much I understood.  I will post pictures of the night time scenery.  I had a beautiful walk home tonight did I mention my school is 3 miles from my apartment... So, I took photos and negotiated the better lit streets and arrived burning off at least one bite of the Tiramisu I had tonight.  I actually held off 5 days before I had it and it was fantastic! A simple steak and caprese tonight.  Last night I joined the school for a student's outing at a nearby restaurant.  About 14 students and 2 teachers went to a local place.  We spoke mostly Italian.  I'm pretty sure I've developed a new sign language complete with sound effects.  We dined on Pasta Amatricana (tomatoes and ham), Pasta with a roman cheese and black pepper, pizza margarita, veal saltimbocca which means jump in the mouth salti is a form of jump and bocca is mouth, I can attest it did jump in the mouth and would have continued to had it not been for the next offering of a sliced beef in a sauce of its own braising liquid.  Then off to a bar where we were offered bread with various toppings as well as potato chips and nuts.  I enjoyed a taxi ride home to my neighborhood which is not on the Rome map.   So my driver went thru frustration with my terrible Italian, encouragement when we found the address on GPS and great humor at my expense assisting me with my comments and questions during the ride.  I assured him that next time I would "have" more Italian.  I thanked him a million for the fact that he got me home and I didn't have to walk 3 miles -up hill by the way- after filling myself full of food and after logging at least 11 miles a day for the past 4 days.  A lot for a former couch potato and desk worker.  He bid me a good evening and a happy journey with a smile and was still smiling as I looked back for one more thankful glance.  Home , and interesting concept for me these days.

A very small car- and a few very old buildings and places

This photo is for my nephews, Graham and Finn.  Hi Guys this photo if for you.  This little car was parked on my street this morning.  The cars here are much smaller than the ones in the United States.  This one is REALLY small, look how short it is compared to me.  

Here are some pictures of historical sites.  

the Pantheon a very old church or Basilica.

this is me in front of the Pantheon

the inside of the Pantheon, pretty cool, this was all built by men who didn't have machinery or trucks, they did this all with their strength and horses and probably oxen, amazing it is solid rock.

This is looking up at the roof inside, I wonder what they do when it rains? any ideas, there are seats inside...

This is the side wall of the same building the Pantheon.

My friend Rich standing on our street where we live in Rome.

This is a BIG fountain. Trevi fountain, also made of rock, or stone.

He is on the fountain

The Colosseum, there is a lot of history in this city, maybe you and your mom can read about it.  This is a very old building too, many stories and movies made about the history of what this building was used for.  

The Castel Saint Angelo, it is right on the river, maybe when you email me you can tell me what river this is on. Look it is fall here too, the leaves are changing.

The Vatican, and Vatican city

So my lovelies, this is the second day in Rome and a very good one.  Tonight we are going to eat Pizza! yesterday we ate a lot of salami and cheese and then some ice cream.  It is a really good place to eat.  Sorry Finn, not much butter here, lots of olive oil instead and its really green here and fruity and yummy. Hope you are being good, hug your mama for me. Love, Aunt Pam

Airriva

We made it, nearly missing the connection in Chicago -a very fast run thru Ohare allowed us to jump on as doors closed.  Ate a meal then snoozed until we arrived.

As I begin on this journey and learn the language, I'll admit that for now I'll fake it.  Arriva! I am here.  A first beautiful day in Rome.  Plenty of walking and a little eating... a meat plate of cured and smoked meats and a plate of assorted cheeses.  A fine place, I get the feeling everyone here is laughing at me. I noticed that when I was here before.  Im trying to get into the swing and not stand out awkwardly but joyfully and enthusiastically.  I hit the jack pot when wondering in to one of the many random places I will visit.  A gelato palace, I had a triple flavored cone topped with....wait for it... real whipped heavy cream.  better than my version I make at home, and mine is good, I think the cows here are happier.  I envision them roaming their happy green hillsides lazily nibbling away at the greenest of pure grasses smiling as they go.
I am sitting in my large apartment. I am blessed in many ways.. The sounds of my neighbors doing whatever Italians do in the evening here in this quiet neighborhood.  I am sure that over the days, I will learn just what they do and how I can do it too. I can hear window grates opening, it seems all of the apartments have these shades that come down like a storefront protection, it allows air thru and privacy when closed.  It seems a tradition to arrive home in the evening and open them up.  Motor scooters zip down my narrow road and various voices carry up to my open window.  It is getting cooler.  I barely needed a sweater today.  I glimpsed the very top of the Vatican today...Rome... Also walked through a huge market where fish mongers were filleting tiny and huge fish alike, flower sellers arranged colorful bouquets and fruit stands perfumed the air.  It was a good day.

Path of Love

I have just returned from the Path of Love an amazing retreat / workshop that is held all over the world.  We just had it in Loveland Colorado.  I have participated and staffed and it is truly the best and most effective experience I have had in the world of seeking and connection.  Pathoflove.net.  if you ever think you would like more in your life and feel there are stuck places or places that scare you, take this journey.  There is an Awakening to love process it is 3 days rather than 7 and it is being held in Santa Barbara in Feb.  I feel so good.  A bit tired and crazed with my impending travel to Italy.  Many logistics.  But I am grateful to have spent time with a community , a family of fellow big hearted willing to risk and be vulnerable with me and others people.  I'm touched at the great courage of the participants and the staff to be real.  I just love it.  Loveland was beautiful.  Sunrise Ranch, an intentional community was a lovely setting and the people there were wonderful and very supportive.  The folks who set this up each year do a fantastic job and Im honored they allow me to staff.  I could say so much more but I have suitcases to fill!!! a few photos from the ranch and loveland.  arrivaderci touti