Sunday and a lovely day

But before I forget, if anyone knows how I can post a video here (like I tried to do on the Moving Day post and I got it on the blog but nothing happens when you tap the arrow), maybe like Chris or January - you must do videos, right?  And if necessary, I could post it to YouTube and then somehow you can copy the address and put that in the blog.  I've even done it before but I don't remember how.  Anyway, a pitiful plea for help is extended.

And for those of you who read my usually very lengthy blogs you will be happy to know that this will mostly be photos with minimal explanation because they don't need explanation. So consider this a Sunday treat. :)

This first photo is one I found in my phone that I took after my Michelin star restaurant dinner.  I was near the river and all the tables were filled with people enjoying themselves in this beautiful setting and beautiful night.  A very nice finish to the meal.

And I was told to report on that meal so I will have to write more than I thought! :)  Sorry...  First came an amuse bouche. A teeny tiny tasty (very) tart with a carrot the middle one was a pate, and the last one was an onion flan.  Each one was just really scrumptious. But then they brought more food. Some peasant type bread and a big clump of butter. Then a little round disc of bread that had been skillet fried I think, because it wasn’t greasy on top. And THEN came a small shallow bowl of I know not what with one dark crouton sitting in the center and it was pretty much heaven on a spoon. 

By the way anything they served that was hot came on hot plates. 

Then came the first thing I actually ordered. A mushroom soup with I think porcini mushrooms and finely chopped nuts -again delicious. And lastly I ordered what they called a lake fish because it was from a lake.   and when it came I really thought I couldn’t eat more than 2 bites but instead I ate about 2/3 of the filet.  So there you have it. A one star Michelin dinner prepared by Burgundy Lounge and eaten (as much as possible) by Mary Lynne Simpson. Oh and the fish came with a sauce that had vermouth in it and was just melt in your mouth tender with no fishy taste at all.. 

And the night before I had gone to a pizza place and got a free appertif whiich was made with casis, so two new liquors. 

Back to today - Sunday - I spent the morning finishing organizing my unpacking and then went to check out how the laundromat worked and how much coinage I would need.  I had every intention of getting it done today but that didn't happen.  It was just so nice out that I decided to walk to the bus station (a lengthy walk) and see if that's where I would buy my tickets for out of town jaunts and no, it wasn't.  So I stopped on the way back towards the hotel and had a sort of ghastly sandwich - I don't know why I keep getting them.  They sit wrapped up in saran for however long and they have no condiments on them.  Anyway, then i walked the rest of the way home, stopped at a little market and got some yogurt and cereal, took them "home" and went back out and headed toward my first view of the Duomo.

So NOW the (random) pictures...

Every time I'm here I take the same route so I can turn the corner and get whammed by the wonder of it. It's hard to imagine how huge it is and how solidly it sits there.  But I'm probably less than a block and a half away from it and those little teensy people are right in front of it and the main reason they look so teensy is because of the immensity of the building.

I celebrated the first view with Prosecco and delicious little tidbits.  At some point I asked the woman sitting at the table beside mine if she knew where all the pink t-shirts could be purchased.  I had already found out that they were for breast cancer awareness and I'll bet I saw at least 500 people maybe more wearing them and I wanted one.  My first question though was could she speak English and she told me very proudly that yes, she spoke excellent English - repeated that a couple of times and  she was right - she did.  She told me it was because she had spent 3 months in NYC and 3 months in Boston for some course she took.  But it was kind of cute because we talked for a while and I always could understand her perfectly but when I would respond she didn't understand really what I was saying.  She would respond back but basically with the same thing she had just said.  But I'm not making fun - she certainly spoke English better than I speak Italian!

Then I decided to walk down to the river and took off.  I gathered up cards from four nice looking restaurants and took a few pictures here and there.  

Does your living room need a pick-me-up?  I think the huge white head could be very effective. 

 And this is a little shop that sells etchings and also has a sign offering classes in etchings and I think probably lets the best of the student work be for sale too at a much lower price than the shop's. And the pic below is just to remind me what it is they DO sell.

When I first walked past this restaurant kitchen nothing was happening but by the time I walked back the chef was busy at two stoves.  Here I think he was making something like dumplings maybe because he kept  dropping fairly big spoonfuls of batter into the pot.  That's a haunch of proscuitto ham in the window.

 All the fresh seasonings and now he's at work at the other stove and what very little I could see of what he was stirring reminded me of the ribollita soup I had last night.

 Like the price of that prosecco!

One of the restaurants I think I'll try...