Rennes Food Tour – France 2026

by ginnyinshanghai

The food tour started at 11:30am but we needed a light breakfast. Rennes has one of the largest markets in France, after Paris. That was our destination – Marche de Lices. Once we headed in that direction, it was easy to find, even if we didn’t use any map. Just follow the locals pulling their shopping carts (there were three ahead of us).

There were both inside and outside stalls. We went inside first to see their products and make a few purchases for later.

I probably enjoyed the outside stalls more since it was fresh produce.

These fruits looked great!

Peaches!

Next I found the veggies.

I’m ready for Fall.

Eric’s highlight was the seafood stalls. Yes, we started our day with a few oysters.

We only purchased oysters, but much, much more was available.

We missed the market area with the flowers. We passed individuals with pre-made bundles but alas, it was not to be. Walked past these sunflowers secured to a bike and couldn’t resist a quick photo.

It was time to head for our food tour’s meeting point: Basilica Saint Sauveur de Rennes. It is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church, located in the heart of the historic city center. The foundation was built in the 11th century before expanding several times and rebuilt in the 18th century.

There are four stories of miracles attributed to this basilica with the first in the 1350s. I had just enough time to walk in and grab a few photos.

Main Alter
Side Chapel

We try to find a local food tour early in our trips. It helps us get the lay of the land, meet people and also get recommendations. This one in Rennes was fairly new, only available the last several months. Mateo was our guide.

Our first stop………….Madame Claude. Eric and Adrienne are in the photo below along with the other two that joined our tour. They have been touring Europe for the last 6 weeks (2 retired schoolteachers from Ireland). They are pulling a camper and rode their bikes into the heart of the city for the tour.

Galettes are a specialty of the region. Much like a crepe, but savory. Buckwheat flour gives it a nutty flavor and the dark color. Mateo felt this was one of the best in the city. All products going into it was grown within 10 km – very local ingredients – I like that! The meat was local pork, local cheese and the buckwheat was grown in the area also.

Yes, yes I needed some coffee first thing this morning. 🙂 After a short walk, we were at the second stop: bouchon.

I only like pate in Europe – must be the ingredients. The pate had pork, poultry and pieces of local apples. The pickled onions and cornichons were also tasty. Red onions were a local crop this area was known for. We had plenty to share between the 5 of us.

I will give the guide some points for our next stop. He wanted to showcase the mixture of cultures and the resulting food scene.

Not my favorite stop by a long shot, but I did try it and picked out the ingredients that I liked. Underneath was a bed of rice that had soaked in the flavors. The spices were Indienne which I don’t traditionally enjoy. Again, I tried it.

This wasn’t only about eating but also hearing a bit about the city. Eric was asking lots of questions from our guide, Mateo.

These statues were numerous and prevalent around the old town on the older buildings, warding off the ‘black plague’ from the Middle Ages.

Mateo also shared this was part of ongoing construction to open up the waterway. In the past, the city had covered over this space and created parking. It was slowly being removed for the waterways to be seen and other parking created. Nice.

Okay, let’s get back to the food. The next stop was a sandwich place. He was talking about their local beef and the ‘smash burger’ we were about to have………………then a vegetarian burger appeared. Oops, he forgot. The burger available for the tour was seasonal. It had local cheese, lettuce and red onions, along with the local eggplant. It was still good.

It was time for sweet endings.

This was the place we had kouign-amann – a Breton specialty where it originated around 1860.

The photo above doesn’t do it justice. This was absolutely delicious! I had tasted it in other European shops, but this was hands-down the best. My research indicates the recipe should be 40% bread dough, 30% butter and 30% sugar. The shop sold other sweet treats and gave us some samples of their cakes.

But wait! We had one final stop. We were given the choice of pastry puff or ice cream.

I was stuffed and able to get a sack to bring mine home. Thank goodness! We were given the option of selecting two flavors and all were mighty tasty. This was the spot it came out that we were in France celebrating Eric’s birthday. Mateo found a tealight and the group sang Happy Birthday.

As we were walking back to the original meeting point, Mateo talked about the half-timbered buildings that were part of the city’s history.

This block had a slight modification that had been added for stabilization. The white (skinny) building to the left of the four houses was a facade built to support and hold up the others. It was not truly a house or apartment but built to look like one. Ingenious.

One last photo of the group before we went out different ways.

It was a great (and tasty) introduction to the city of Rennes with a knowledgeable tour guide.

Ginny

Another birthday trip – France 2026

by ginnyinshanghai

Another one of my travel partners was hitting a milestone birth year and wanted to go somewhere special. Since we’re foodies………….France was the chosen destination, specifically the northern coastline of France where OYSTERS are farmed. Yes, Eric wanted to celebrate by eating lots and lots of these bivalves.

The journey began mid-week and was definitely ‘trains, planes & automobiles’ but not in that order. Had to get to the airport so the trip started with ride-share.

Whereas we met Adrienne before boarding the first of two flights before going overseas and landing in CDG, Paris mid-afternoon. We were worried about storms in Orlando. In fact, as we were boarding the crew mentioned a storm was building near the airport and highly encouraged us to quickly board so we could get out of there fast – we did.

Our connection was in JFK/New York. Our luck with connections in the south has been hit or miss. A few afternoon/evening storms have delayed us and kept us in US missing a day in Europe. Not everyone loves JFK but my last connection through there was painless. Only hitch……………we landed in terminal 1 (at the v.e.r.y end) and had to get to terminal 5. We had plenty of time for the connection, but it was a hike! Soon enough we got our next flight and a few hours of sleep.

One advantage to flying through New York – this flight is a bit shorter.

After landing, we needed food. We have a history of eating at the Sheraton inside the airport and that day was no different. Even though it looks like we are eating outside………..it is their brasserie restaurant that protrudes into the airport skyway.

I just needed a coke but those two started with a regional red wine.

We each were looking for something different for nutrition: Adrianne – sushi, myself – fries and Eric – charcuterie board.

We have checked off two modes of transportation and now we waited for the third one – train.

Let’s just say, I woke up. Those two crashed during our 2+ hour ride to Rennes.

The train departed early evening and we had a bit of light initially and I got this photo as we passed a wind farm.

No issues on our ride, but we heard the next morning there was a train derailment in Northern France the same evening.

Our last transportation was an automobile – taxi to our AirBNB in the Old Town of Rennes. Arrival was 9:30pm and our AirBNB host met us at 10 pm to show us around and handover the keys.

We were bushed, but hungry. He made a call and got us dinner reservations within walking distance. Great!!!! Eric started us with oysters before our main courses arrived.

Our dinner selections were varied:

Adrienne – tuna

I chose canard (duck):

With Eric selecting sole meuniere’:

All was topped off with ice cream – shared.

After 23+ hours traveling……………it’s time to call it a night.

Up next – a local Rennes food tour.

Ginny

Italy, Lecce 2026 – post 3

by ginnyinshanghai

My first Lecce post I mentioned stairs. Let’s revisit that point. Upon walking into the apartment, these steps greeted you.

You turned the corner and found these steps.

You were then in the living space, with more stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

Walking through the archway, led to these steps.

And we weren’t done yet. These were the final 3 steps to our bedroom. The thing we chuckled about, you had to step down to get into our bedroom. Yep, another step!

Enough about stairs. I have one more church to talk about before leaving Lecce. Truth be told, we visited several more churches in this town, but you’ll have to visit on your own to see those. 🙂

The Basilica of Santa Croce Lecce was built where a monastery stood in the 14th century. In 1549, a new church was begun, using, among others, houses from Jews who had been ousted from Lecce in 1510. The construction dragged on for two centuries; by 1582, the lower façade had been finished but work continued on other pieces of the basilica before finally being finished.

Loved the dragon. There was symbolism everywhere, really too much. The animals under the balustrade would symbolize the Christian powers which participated in a battle: the dragon was the symbol of the Boncompagni, family of Pope Gregory XIII: the griffon the Republic of Genoa, Hercules the grand Duke of Tuscany. I only captured the dragon.

But I may have found the griffon and Hercules in the photo below (to the left of the dragon). I was sorting through which photos to include and maybe, just maybe I got lucky?

So when we walked to the church one morning, individuals were blocking the doorways and we couldn’t get in. Why? A wedding was being held. We seem to keep running into weddings. We think this was the 3rd one we encountered during our Europe trips. Got a quick shot of the bride after the ceremony. I didn’t know why the bundle of greenery was brought along. It came from inside the church and was going with the wedding party. Checked the internet and found this explanation: Italian weddings often emphasize natural beauty. Hanging vines and greenery branches enhance the romantic ambience for vows and photography. Now I know. (I think?)

Inside the church, the ceiling was striking.

The church has seventeen altars: the main one has a decorated portal with the coat of arms of the Adorni family, whose tombs were inside the basilica. I believe the photo below is the alter described.

A lot of gold and red really drew your attention.

This was one of the last altars before exiting.

Here’s a closeup view of one of the cherubs seen above.

Okay, that was the last church I’m going to talk about (in Lecce).

Eric had been visiting this bar – Quanto Basta – half a block from our apartment. One afternoon Adrienne went with him and raved about a grapefruit drink. I was curious enough to visit with them.

Why the carrot in the above photo? They were part of the munchies brought with your drinks: popcorn and carrot sticks. Not typical bar food that I was used to, but it worked.

Going back to the grapefruit drink…….it was pretty tasty. I agreed with Adrienne, it went down v.e.r.y smoothly.

We wanted our last evening in Lecce to be a special meal and that happened by going back to La Spore.

No surprise, Eric had been making friends.  Somehow (?) they heard about him being a FOH F&B manager and possibly the bartenders at the bar next door…………….saw him on U-Tube?  Maybe? I don’t know how that ‘randomly’ happened.  Ha!  We could be seated with no reservations at La Spore as long as we vacated our table by 9:30 pm – it was 6:30pm when we walked over.  No problem.   

Like normal, we shared a number of appetizers.   The hummus dip was still one of my favorites.

Menu selections were pasta and eggplant.

Eric meant to order these meat balls, but there was a communication miss.  He said he was very happy with the eggplant, but guess what arrived shortly?  Yep, the meatballs.  I tasted them. I guess that’s one of the benefits with being short-term friends with the locals. They were good.

We wanted to finish the meal with dessert so we chose these two.

egg cake with fruit filling
tiramisu

The owner continued to check in with us throughout the evening and agreed to a photo to commemorate our experience. 

It was a very nice evening with (new) good friends and good food.  I was even convinced to order wine for our meal.

While Adrienne and I headed back to the apartment, Eric stopped back in the corner bar for a last evening with his new friends.  I really liked Lecce.

Ginny

Italy, Lecce 2026 – post 2

by ginnyinshanghai

We went back to the Lecce Cathedral in the morning going inside for the full tour.  While the first documents indicate the existence back to the Norman period, the old building was demolished to make way for the new cathedral in the mid-16th century.  At this point the square was given a new monumental appearance fitting for one of the most important artistic and cultural centers in Southern Italy. 

These statues flank the entrance to the plaza.

They are saints or Fathers of the Church and give the impression they are guarding the entrance.

The cathedral has a Latin cross with three naves divided by pilasters and columns, and the main altar is placed at the eastern end of the church. The central nave and the transepts covered by a wooden ceiling with coffers created in 1685.  This was our first wooden ceiling and it was fantastic – The Last Supper.

Each of the altars was more decorative than the last one.  There was a lot of detail everywhere!

I’m sure you could come back every day for years and find something new. This scene was above one of the side altars.

Near the pulpit was a staircase leading to an underground area containing the hidden jewel of the Cathedral:  the crypt. The cross vaults inside are supported by a veritable forest of columns.  Each of the 92 capitals featured a different decoration of medieval inspiration.  I sooooo wanted to take photos but I respected the wish of the church for this sacred spot – no photos.

Next door was the bell tower.  The tower was constructed in 1661–1662 and was built to replace the previous Norman bell tower, which crumbled at the beginning of the 17th century.

It has a square shape and appears to be made up of five tapered levels, the last of which is topped by an octagonal majolica, on which there is an iron statue of a local saint.

The bell tower offers views of the Adriatic Sea, and on clear days even the mountains of Albania are visible. It was hazy the day we visited. so no sea or mountains.

It was s.u.p.e.r windy on the day we went to the top.  The only way we got Eric up there…….in 2022 a modern lift provided access to the balconies on the third floor. No steps for him but he will do an elevator. Ha!

Lecce is also the spot of a Roman amphitheater that is being excavated and offers a glimpse into the city’s history as a Roman resort and trading port. 

The amphitheater which could hold 15,000 spectators was hidden from view until 1901 when construction began on a bank. Not sure what happened with the bank, but I would guess they weren’t exactly thrilled that the land they were going to build upon, would not be an archeological site.

All this running around was creating an appetite. Time to find some nourishment. This was our stop for a lunch.

Can I just say……very interesting placemats. Yes, those are records.

These homemade chips were a starter, getting us ready for the main course – one of my favorites.

Pizza!

Bufalo mozzerella
Anchovies & olives

There’s one more church I want to mention in this post – Chiesa di San Matteo. The Church of San Matteo was built between 1667 and 1700 to replace the ancient chapel of S. Mattero, now small and in mediocre condition.  This turned into one of my favorite churches.

I read that this church embodies the canons of the Baroque style so much that it has earned the title ‘the pantheon of Lecce Baroque’. 

The perimeter of the interior is marked by twelve columns on which statues of the apostles stand.  Each represented something specific about that apostle – could be their origin, what they stood for or where they ended. This church had an excellent audio guide & map sharing descriptive information.

The weather was so gorgeous we enjoyed walking around the town and found this city park. Kids were playing on a playground, others had brought a book to read and a few couples were sitting quietly taking it all in.

Barely noticeable, but Adrienne and Eric were in the background of the photo. There was a bridge that connected the space between the fountains.

Those two followed me around while I got photos of flowers. The redbud trees were starting to bloom – something we can’t grow in Florida. Kind of cool that flowers could be seen along the trunk of the tree, not only on the branches. Yep, there is Eric and Adrienne in the background again.

Eric found an interesting place for supper and made reservations earlier that day. Once the sun started to set, the temps went down quickly. He needed to go back to the apartment for warmer clothes. Our apartment was a few doors behind him.

Tonight we headed to Vico dei Sotteranei.

They are described as a cozy restaurant in the historic town center sourcing local ingredients and paying attention to the details, mixing in tradition with innovation. Nice. Those two drank some of the local wine while I went for a local blonde ale beer – it was a nice change for me.

Some snacks arrived while we waited for our appetizer. The olives, round italian crackers and the olive spread – which was excellent by the way. The carrots………..let’s just say that Adrienne has a love/hate relationship with carrots. Actually, it’s hate/hate relationship! No way is she going to eat a carrot.

We started with a smoked swordfish carpaccio with burrata cheese, walnuts and roasted fruits. Not exactly my thing, however I did like the cheese and the fruit.

Adrienne and Eric both ordered the 40-day dry-aged beef with sauteed vegetables. They loved it.

I ordered the ‘sfoglia’ – fresh sheet pasta with slow-cooked beef, pecorino cheese, smoked paprika and rosemary essence. It was okay. I ate most of the beef and left the pasta – I was getting full.

But what made the meal memorable……………..the dessert. They were called spumone but was nothing like any of us had ever eaten. We ordered two but I only got one photo, you couldn’t really tell them apart, until after you started eating them. Technically they were called Spumone al pistacchio, nocciole e cuore al croccante and Spumone al cioccolato fondente con copeta e fichi.

Looks kind of unassuming right? It didn’t matter what they were called, we ate every last crumb. Once you broke through the outer layer of ice cream, more flavors and goodies were inside. Delicious!

Walking home was quick and easy. Sharing the photo so you can see how narrow the streets were and we had to step aside for the cars and motorcycles to get by.

Ginny

Italy, Lecce 2026 – post 1

by ginnyinshanghai

Where and why Lecce? One of the reasons was that it doesn’t attract most Americans. Most have never heard of the city. Two, we will get to explore a part of Italy that we’ve never traveled – the southern section. Three, we will be able to travel by train, something not typically done in the states. Plans were made and set. Transportation routes were purchased and accommodations were booked.

Before leaving the U.S., Eric received an (Italian) email that there was a problem with our route as a portion was involved with a landslide/washout.  Not much we could do at this point but wait until we got there.  By the time of our departure, the train had been re-routed and while it was going to be a longer trip, no other problems with our booking.  Whew! 

There are two main sources of agricultural income in his point of Italy: wine and olive oil. We saw some amazing olive trees along the train route.

We arrived safe and sound! Lecce was the end of this route that started in Milano earlier that day.

It was an easy walk to our place, less than 10 minutes from the station. We can do it. Figuring out all of the instructions to get in, took a bit more time. Ha!

Two bedroom, two baths and a kitchen with this one having a working washing machine.

Bedrooms were above the living room.

Please notice the stairs, more on that later.

What we needed at this point (maybe ‘wanted’ was the better word) was some libations. Walked a block down the road and found a place that was open, only for drinks.

We were literally sitting behind the church at this point, the Lecce Cathedral. It was originally built in 1144, rebuilt in 1230 and restored in 1659. The facade is a masterpiece of Baroque art. One reason that Lecce is called the ‘Florence of the South’ because of the rich baroque architecture that abounds in this city.

We purchased multi-day tickets for our church visits during our stay. Not going to start our visits until the next day. Something that was rising to the top of our list……….dinner. This spot was highly rated and very close to our apartment.

We were one of the first to be seated, that’s us the American early bird diners, at 7pm.

We started with two similar appetizers. Nice presentation and very tasty.

This was said to be more typical of southern Italy. Still had the buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes, but a different type of mixture and herbs. This one was sitting on some Lecce bread, which was covered up by the cheese and can’t really be seen until you cut into the mozzarella cheese..

Next appetizer was soooo amazing, we had it several times during our stay: hummus with fava bean puree and local grilled mussels. O.M.G.

We only needed two entrees for the evening. Eric ordered a meat dish that was composed of beef, pork and horse cooked in a tomato sauce. He enjoyed it.

Adrienne ordered their grilled seafood platter. She was very happy. They both let me have a few bites from their selections. That was all I needed at this point.

Until it came time for dessert. Once again, we ordered two items but shared them all.

tiramisu
citrus cheesecake

Before turning in we went back to the Lecce Cathedral for an evening shot.

Nice way to end our first day in Lecce.

Ginny

Italy, Rome 2026 – post 3

by ginnyinshanghai

What is a visit to Rome without stopping at a few churches. We had walked past both of these earlier in the week and this day we stopped in.

Interesting exterior, a few details added to make a statement when the worshipers came to services.

I did find out that S. Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the neighborhood of Sant’Eustachio. It was considered one of the great 17th century preaching churches. Once you go inside, you don’t know where to look since there is so much going on everywhere! My shot below is the main alter area then part of the ceiling. I suppose you could stare at the ceiling for years and continue to find new things.

A small chapel displaying the Madonna & child was roped off for anyone wanting to pray in peace.

Looking up when exiting the building, their organ could be seen above with a small part of the half-dome apse in my photo.

As we continued walking the city a few steps away was the Church of the Gesu, it is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The facade is described as ‘the first truly baroque facade’ and served as a model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world especially in Central Europe and in Portuguese colonies.

Their design is such that there is no entrance or vestibule to linger, rather a visitor is projected immediately into the body of the church. The Jesuits relied heavily on the acoustics of the church having a single nave and dome. They wanted the faithful to clearly hear the words of the sermon.

Turning to leave I could see the organ pipes above the exit. Wow, that is a small organ. Reading later I discovered that the two ornamented walls on either side hide a great deal of it. Now that makes more sense.

Okay, only been to two churches and they are starting to look alike. Let’s do some more walking. We walked past the other side of the Forum and noticed a number of Julius Cesear statues. In case you didn’t notice, Adrienne and Eric are in the background.

We saw something odd on the next statue……….maybe rubbing the foot is good luck? Not sure about that, but guess what? We rubbed it. Ha!

Putting together ruins is much like putting together a puzzle, with really heavy pieces. These were well organized.

Eric had been given the name of a restaurant near the Coliseum. That’s where we were headed. Had to grab this photo. This was a site we visited on our last trip so no need to go inside again.

By the way………it is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is the largest standing amphitheater in the world. Good to know.

Our locale of choice for eating lunch. It was recommended by someone Eric worked with. Although it was in a ‘touristy’ region, it was still very good eating.

I’m sure you can guess which one is my drink. 🙂

We started with the buffalo mozzarella. This was the best we’ve had thus far. Okay, well this is only our second full day. 🙂 The mozzarella was very ‘fresh’ tasting.

They both chose pasta, while I had the pizza. That was a recurring theme. Eric could tell you that I’m always ready to eat pizza!

I was able to get a different shot of the coliseum on the way to our next destination.

Our destination was Circus Maximus:  ancient Roman Chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome.  It was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire.  It could accommodate 150,000 spectators.  It is now a public park. Adrienne said she is going to run around it one of these mornings when she is out and about running before most of us are up.

Even at the height of its development as a chariot-racing circuit, the circus remained the most suitable place in Rome for religious processions on a grand scale.  The photo below is where the spectators used to sit. They were trying to shore up some of the buildings as age and weather were taking a toll.

After the 6th century, the Circus fell into disuse and decay.  The lower levels, ever prone to flooding were gradually buried under waterlogged soil and accumulated debris so the original track is now 6 meters beneath the modern surface. 

It was nice to get out, walk the streets of Rome and stretch our legs. We had beautiful weather! Before we left home, the weather forecast showed a number of days with rain. So far, they were wrong. In the evenings we usually needed our jackets but the days were gorgeous.

Reservations had been made for dinner at Il Gabriello.  They have continued a long family tradition, now with the fourth generation at the helm for over 30 years. Eric talked with the chef (father) as we were leaving telling him how much we enjoyed the food and the experience.

Upon arrival, we all had a déjà vu feeling, especially walking down these stairs.

Yes, we had been there before.  Our hotel had made the reservations on our first trip for this place therefore we didn’t know the name.  Even more ironic……..we were seated at the same table!

We started with the seafood crudo and octopus. I enjoyed both, but the grilled octopus was my top choice.

We had a variety of entrees.

Adrienne – black spaghetti with seafood
Ginny – ravioli with ricotta & spinach
Eric – grilled prawns

Desserts were enjoyed before closing out the evening.

Adrienne – pistachio cake
Ginny – fruit & custard tart
Eric – ice cream

So ended another day in Rome.  They called us a taxi to get us home. This was our last night of the first days spent in Rome. We started packing for the next leg of our Italian journey – Lecce.

Ginny

Italy, Rome 2026 – post 2

by ginnyinshanghai

The previous post referenced a food tour. Yes, we had a food tour, but not until 3pm. We needed to fill our day. We still had one of Rome’s historical highlights to visit. One that never made it on our itinerary – the Roman Forum. While I had heard of the spot for decades, I didn’t know (or remember!) a good bit of the history. I did some digging and found a few interesting notes. Here you go.

According to Roman historical tradition, the Forum’s beginnings are connected with the alliance between Romulus, the first king of Rome controlling the Palatine Hill, and his rival, Titus Tatius who occupied the Capitoline Hill.

Pottery deposits discovered in the Forum, Palatine and Capitoline demonstrated that humans occupied these areas in the Final Bronze Age (1200–975 BC).

Originally a low-lying, grassy wetland, the Forum was drained in the 7th century BC. This land had been used for temples, shrines, cremation burials, a public space and the list goes on and on.

The sacred trees of Rome are represented here – olive, fig and grape vines. Agriculture was considered the activity most befitting of the Roman citizen. It was seen as expression of the values of one’s ancestors and the prosperity of the nation.

Things went downhill after the Fall of the Roman empire. After the eighth century, the structures of the Forum were dismantled, rearranged, and used to build towers and castles within the local area. In the 13th century, these rearranged structures were torn down, and the site became a dumping ground.

In the 1400s a campaign of civic improvement and rebuilding in the city was decreed thus the demand for building materials consequently increased significantly, making the Forum a convenient quarry for stone and marble.

Regardless of it’s history for centuries, the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial and legal affairs.

Here statues and monuments commemorated the city’s leaders. The heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history. And it still has room for a few more 4-legged animals today.

I think that’s enough history for this post. It wasn’t quite time for our food tour yet we were getting hungry. We stopped for some seafood as a ‘pre-game activity’. It was amazing. This was supposed to feed one – and we shared.

Those two wanted sardines and ordered this.

We couldn’t refuse dessert. Eric ordered the ice cream and we shared a poached pear – omg, it was the best. The pear melted in your mouth.

And NOW…………….it was time to meet for our Roman Food Tour.

A short distance away from the meeting spot was this place – Trapizzino, our first stop for eating.

Hmmmmmmm, what?

I was trying to figure out how to describe it and came across this explanation. It was better than what I could come up with.

We each chose different fillings.

Ginny – chicken
Adrienne – anchovy w/ cream
Eric – tongue w/ pesto

Since this was street food, no utensils were available. I could have really used a fork to eat mine – just saying.

Next stop was Essenza Wine Bar.

We each had our own charcuterie plate. She was very specific what to eat first, going for more delicate flavors initially and ending with the blue cheese in the top left corner. She had honey and jam for some of the cheese – it went great with the blue cheese, ha! Not my favorite cheese but add in some sweet and I can do it.

We ended with this parmesan Reggiano topped with balsamic vinegar.

One quick shot before heading to our next stop. I don’t think I mentioned……….there was a L.O.T of wine during this tour, basically bottomless pours.

This stop had a lot of things going for it. Yes, there was pasta, wine and pizza!

We each choose a different pasta and traded plates.

Pasta cacio e pepe
pasta amatriciana
pasta carbonara

But my favorite item was the pizza!!!!!! I got a corner piece and ate every bit of my portion including the crust.

But wait there’s one more stop to make. Did you think these streets are alleys? Nope, we had to step aside numerous times for cars and motorcycles to pass by.

Our last stop was the sweetest one…….

My choices were coffee & blackberry. Adrienne’s salted caramel was tasty along with Eric’s choice of amora cherry & vanilla.

Needless to say, we didn’t need any supper. In fact, grabbing a taxi back to our place was one of the best decisions that night.

Ciao!

Ginny

Italy, Rome 2026 – post 1

by ginnyinshanghai

It was time to head back to Europe. This time with a party of three versus only two of us.  We couldn’t find a direct flight to Rome, but I wanted to avoid Atlanta.  Next option was a connection in Miami – sold. 

Temps to expect – okay, a break from the heat of Florida.

Next flight got us overseas. Surprisingly I slept!  Not enough of course but more than in the past.

Woke up to this view of Italy.

Upon landing in Rome, we were prepared to go through a new Entry/Exit System (EES) that was mandated to start 4/10/26 – shortly before our trip. Everything I had heard was be patient, the first time it will take longer and future trips would be a shorter process since everything would be on file. As we prepared to go through Passport Control, we were suddenly directed to go up a flight of stairs, get in a line for ‘non-Italians’, to go down an escalator to the original entry point! Basically, they were making us form a queue since it was a compact space and a number of flights had landed. Yikes, this is going to take us awhile. After taking the escalator down, passengers with a US or UK passport were directed to the left side of the holding area. We were waved through a number of gates and OMG within minutes we were through and at the luggage carousels. No stopping, no stamping and no more interactions.

After a taxi ride with our talkative drive, we arrived at our first AirBNB. Eric had detailed instructions for the four keys needed for this place.  First a phone call that automatically let us inside the first door.  Then the actual keys in a mailbox, with the longest one needed to get through the iron portal doorway.  Another key was for the elevator – luggage and one person was all the space available.  Adrienne and I walked up two flights of stairs and met Eric outside of the door utilizing his fourth key to get inside.  Whew!

Two bedrooms, two bath rooms and a small kitchen. 

Then you had the world’s most uncomfortable couch.  Yikes! Minimal padding with a wooden frame – maybe it was a daybed? The red cover was hiding it.

First order of business – food.  At the end of our block was several options.  Restaurant 433 it is!

Drinks & bread before a quick photo.

Then the meal arrived:  Buffalo mozzarella, pasta de pepe and pasta carbonara.

Next order of business was a short nap before walking the streets of Rome.  We locked in our destination (Piazza Navona) and started walking.  It was the original site of the 1st century Stadium of Domitian.  The stadium was commissioned as a gift to the people of Rome and used almost entirely for athletic contests.  It was Rome’s first permanent venue for competitive athletics, seating approximately 30,000.

On our last visit, work was being done on some of the fountains.  This time all three were working.  The center one the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers.  The rivers collectively represent four major rivers of the continents through which papal authority had spread:  The Nile, The Danube, The Ganges and the Rio de la Plata representing the Americas. Below is one of the four sides.

Really liked the detail on some of the sculptures.

At one end is the Fontana del Moro or Fountain of the Moor depicting a nautical scene with tritons, dolphins and a conch shell. The basin was constructed in the 1570s, with sculptures added in the 1650s.

At the north end is Fontana del Nettuno or the Fountain of Neptune.  The basin was designed in 1574 without the sculptures for 300 years.  The fountain as it exists today was finally completed in the 1870s following a competition.

We continued walking and came across the Pantheon.  You might ask why we didn’t go in?  We did it on our last trip and that time we hit a few of Rome’s highlights. We were checking off a lot of things that time. I got a quick shot while the other two were looking at meats & cheeses.

All this walking worked up an appetite, and we found Vecchio Locanda down this tiny alleyway.

Octopus w/ potatoes along with some parma was a hit.

There is art everywhere, even in the alleyways. While eating, this was our view from our outside table.

The night was so nice, no rain and a comfortable temperature that we did some walking around our area.  We are near the Tiber River.

This spot is the meeting point for our food tour the next day – a hint about the next post.

We headed back towards our apartment, and suddenly you are looking at ancient ruins, surrounded by more modern architecture.

I wanted some dessert before heading back to our place.  Outside of a number of restaurants there was a ‘handler’ that approached, asked what you would like and upon mentioning dessert, we took up his offer of a table. 

Savory before sweet so we ordered fried meat-stuffed olives – quite delicious – and fried artichoke.

Finally we got to the desserts.  Three selections were made and shared.

L – pistachio cheesecake, M – tiramisu w/ caramel, R – berry cheesecake

Now it’s time for bed!

Ginny

Iceland 2026 – post 6

by ginnyinshanghai

We read about a new bagel place that was becoming very popular. Sorry, the lighting was odd and the photos turned out a wonky color. The everything bagel was tasty and easily big enough to share.

Eric had wanted this Icelandic pastry: Kleina, sweetened fried dough occasionally topped with icing. He was happy.

A well-known bakery called Braud, carries these marvelous cinnamon buns. That has always been my bakery of choice.

It’s easy to find, just look for the place with all of the graffiti. You can just barely see some of their breads in the window.

Weekends was the only time this local flea market was open. It was a cool place to hang out, kill some time and get warm. They had a small bar in one of the corners with seating.

A variety of treasures could be found like this wall of local paintings available in all price ranges.

Icelandic wool sweaters:

And yes, a section of the building was typical flea market booths. Had to take a photo of the stall with used books.

One corner also had food items packaged to bring home.

Oh yeah, never shared any photos of the place we stayed – in the heart of everything. Our place was the second window from the top, right side of the building.

One bedroom, kitchen & dining with some seating for relaxing.

Our last meal in Reykjavik was a splurge – Grill Market.

Eric started with a cocktail, made just for him – bartender’s choice. Our waitress asked what spirit he wanted in his drink, then a preference for sweet/bitter or any flavor he wanted to add. The result is pictured below.

We realized we had not ordered any lamb on this trip and got the lamb skewers as a starter – delicious and cooked perfectly.

I had not eaten any steak yet, and grilled meat was their specialty. So the filet mignon was my choice that came with fries – perfectly seasoned none were left. The vegetable medley in the upper corner………..very little was eaten – just saying.

Eric chose another steak that is not available in the states. He had it one other time in Iceland when we drove the ring road. It was tasty then and this night was no exception. Horse, 220 g, cooked medium rare only.

Naturally, Eric chose ice cream for his dessert, which was accompanied by fruit.

My choice was chocolate, a chocolate sphere with mascarpone mousse, warm caramel and coffee ice cream.

Oh, and I didn’t realize there was a bit of ‘showmanship’ with my choice.

It was absolutely delicious. It was a very enjoyable evening and a fitting way to end an excellent week away from work. This was not our typical vacation for us. Usually, we are rushing around to hit a number of spots, checking things off of our list and crashing at the end of the night. We both had time to unwind and slow down – it was kind of nice. 🙂

The only thing left to do was get to the airport. We had both been hoping for some snow during this break from Florida. All the locals said they were waiting for snow also. Didn’t happen………….until we arrived the airport and was past security. We saw this as we were waiting to board our flight. Really? Really.

It really was a great trip. Yes, it was another visit to Iceland. Yes, we had a few repeats of stops and local sites. Yes, some of these meals were our best yet enjoyed in this country. But we were relaxed, slept waaaaay longer than we ever have at home and enjoyed a city and country together.

Ginny & Eric

Iceland 2026 – post 5

by ginnyinshanghai

Food, glorious food. Eric did a lot of restaurant research prior to arrival. A few places he made a reservation before leaving the states. One evening original tour plans fell through so it was time to check his restaurant list. One that kept coming up during conversation was Lola.

It was easily walkable and near the harbor. First impression was solid.

While the bar was empty, most of the tables had individuals seated at them. While looking at the menu, we both got this deja vu feeling. We had been in this building before! It has a distinctive look and curved walls – yep we’ve been here during our first trip in 2019. It was casual dining at that time, while this was the total opposite.

We started with this appetizer: Parmigiano Fritto with fire roasted bell pepper dip. Nice.

I ordered two small plates and was happy with both of them.

Sicilian Sashimi – fish, scallops, langoustine with capers, onion and fennel.

Chili Prawns with garlic, chili, tzatziki, lime and mint.

Eric’s choice was Bacalao: cod with romesco, almonds, lime and caper leaf.

It left enough space for dessert. O.M.G. My dessert was one of the best I’ve eaten in years. I seriously wanted to lick the plate. The photo below gives you a hint of what to expect, but it was unbelievably awesome. It was called Lola’s Banana Business: banana semifreddo, sticky toffee pudding and Dolcey butterscotch. When it arrived, I thought it had a banana on top of the toffee pudding. Nope, the texture was all wrong. I had to research what exactly was ‘semifreddo’? It’s a class of frozen desserts prepared mainly with egg whites, sugar and cream. It differs from ice cream in that it is frozen in molds, not churned and lighter in texture.

Eric went with his typical selection of gelato or ice cream. Flavors were raspberry, lychee and rose topped with Greek yogurt.

Our waiter encouraged us to explore an adjoining room. We found a small movie theater with three options available for viewing!

For an unexpected free night, it was a delightful meal. Bundled up for heading back to our place that night.

Another day we had a lunch reservation at Seafood Grill.

It’s described as a unique dining experience in a cozy environment. Their chefs focus on using the freshest ingredients available and combining them with amazing spice blends.

This was one of the few places where bread (warmed) and butter was brought to the table. We devoured this. The butter was topped with various Icelandic salts – yum

One of their starters was ranked a top item in the city: Deep Fried Langoustine Tacos. The parmigiano ribbons on top of the tacos and red onions was a perfect pairing.

Eric ordered their fish of the day which was Ling, sitting on a bed of bok choy and roasted bell peppers.

My selection was Shellfish Pasta with langoustines, scallops and tiger prawns. Quite frankly there was so much seafood on top of the pasta, you can’t see the pasta. It was a well-constructed dish but ultimately, I sought out the seafood and left the remaining pasta.

One of my favorite things on their menu……………..coca cola! The vast majority of restaurants served pepsi.

A restaurant recommended by some of Eric’s new beer buddies was this spot:

A bread basket arrived with Icelandic butter and a bowl of granola mix. Hmmmm, interesting. It definitely worked.

It was followed by this tuna dish.

My choice was lobster soup. Man! it was delicious, hot, smooth and velvety. Probably not your typical food descriptors but it was definitely comforting.

Eric’s selection was reindeer carpaccio with puree cepes, blueberry compote, hazelnut and foie gras.

Their raw fish was so good we had to have some sushi. One of their selections was available for two to share. Got it.

It was a filling meal – no dessert needed.

This was such a relaxing trip, a few times we stopped in for a drink. One afternoon, we went into an Irish pub. An Irish coffee for me, thank you. Eric stayed with his Guiness.

Eric also found a few cocktail bars – it’s getting to be a thing. Yes, this place is called Tipsy.

This stop turned into a favorite with us visiting seceral nights: Gilligogg.

My selection was one of their specialties: Garpur! It was composed of banana rum, strawberries, whey, balsamico and lime. Described as ‘short, fresh, fruity’. It was delicious. I could have easily ordered a second one.

One more post and this Iceland trip will be finished.

Ginny