Author: ginnyinshanghai

Rome History – part 3

by ginnyinshanghai

Piazza Navona – a public open space in Rome. It was one of several that popped up when researching our trip. Later this day we had a tour booked for The Vatican, so we had free time to wander the historic streets, grab a cappuccino & croissant and soak in the ambience of Rome.

The space was initially used in the 1st century as the Stadium of Domitians. Ancient Romans came here to watch games. Following the Fall of Western Rome, the stadium fell into ruins and was quarried for building material. Little to nothing remains of that. It was re-energized in the 15th century when the city market was transferred here.

The primary reason on this day and time to visit was for the (3) fountains. We turned the corner and this was the first thing we saw – fountain was drained and work being done.

Bummer – this was going to be a wasted trip.

Nope – only one of the three fountains was not working. This was the centerpiece of the piazza.

Called the Fountain of Four Rivers and designed in 1651 to be representative of the spread of papal authority. There was so many details wrapped up in this fountain. You could keep circling and find more things during each circumference.

The four rivers represented the Nile (Africa), the Danube (Europe), the Ganges (Asia) and the Rio de la Plata (Americas).

Loved the horse peeking out through the portal.

The group LOVES when I take photos – not. They’re good sports, most of the time.

The third fountain was in the north part of the piazza, the Fountain of Neptune.

Yes, we did some people watching while eating our croissants and cappuccino. Neptune fighting the octopus was in front of us. Hard life – people-watching, enjoying a pastry, listening to the fountain’s water and soaking in the Italian sun. I could do this for months on end.

So many things going on with these fountains. You could literally do one post on each fountain and all of the symbolism. It was hard to capture the many different components, but I did like this sea creature.

There was a building in the middle of the piazza that individuals kept going into and thus we did our own exploring. Many people come just for the three fountains and miss this worthy, hidden gem in Rome. It was fascinating reading about it. The little bit of info below only scratch the surface of its stories.

This was a 17th century Baroque church, built on the site of a much older church dedicated to St. Agnes with research indicating this was the location she was martyred.

There are so many things to look at once you enter, but your eyes move upward towards the dome in the sanctuary.

The dome was designed for individuals to look up to heaven. The fresco in the cupola depicts the Apotheosis of st. Agnes and the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They form a virtue theory of ethics. All other virtues fall under them and hinge upon them.

The alterpieces all take the form of bas-reliefs or statues rather than paintings. Below is the statue of St. Agnes when she extinguishes the flames at her feet with prayers.

This altarpiece represents the Holy Family with little St. John the Baptist, Joseph & Mary and baby Jesus. There is a lot more to this, but it started getting complicated.

The inside of the church was surrounded by marble sculptural Baroque masterpieces, dedicated to individual martyred saints. Below was one of the seven immortalized in statue.

There was a shrine inside of the church for Saint Agnes, containing her skull and a marble relief. She was martyred at 13 when she refused to marry a pagan. She was condemned to death. You can see her skull in the marble box below her statue. No lie, it was kind of creepy.

While the stories being told inside this church was gruesome, it was a beautiful church. My photos do not do justice for the beauty contained within.

I want to leave you with this small ‘fountain’ located within this piazza. I assumed it was for pets to drink and stay hydrated.

That is until you stop the downward flow and this happens……..

Nice!

Ginny

Rome Eats – second post

by ginnyinshanghai

We needed a lunch before the start of our Vatican tour. Knowing we were going to be around a high tourist spot, we tried to get a bit off of the beaten path. We found Mama Eat. It is a chain found in Italy in several of the bigger cities. No matter, it got high ratings and it was within walking distance of our meeting place for the tour.

Luckily, we don’t have any food allergies, but they advertise ‘two kitchens, two ovens, two chefs and two brigades’ for the separation of their dishes. Nice.

One guess who ordered the soda? That would be me.

I felt like another pizza – why not? Just your basic (?!? ha!) thin Roman pizza crust, tasty tomato sauce and buffalo mozzarella cheese. Waaaaay to big but gave me a chance to eat only the tastiest morsels.

Adrienne’s choice for lunch was a pasta dish with eggplant and creamy tomato sauce.

Eric also choose pasta – that’s all I’ve got. We’ve had so many (great) meals by this point, we don’t remember the specifics. It looks good though. 🙂

It was a nice lunch in a high tourist spot.

Our last meal in Rome was excellent. It was recommended by our AirBNB host and although we did’t have a reservation, we were there right when it opened at 7pm and was given a table.

I will say that researching a bit on the internet before completing this post, it seemed like we were one of the lucky ones. A number of reviews were unhappy with the service (we were not), unhappy with their food (we were not) and treated rudely (we were not).

Our meal started with wine – white for me and red for the other two.

While this was very simple, it was excellent. Bread soaked in (their) olive oil – absolutely delicious.

We ordered two starters, but our waitress said we needed to try the stuffed squash flowers. They don’t look like much but were tasty.

Next up was the Parma Ham – 36 months and buffalo mozzarella. Man! That ham is fantastic.

Along with a steamed Roman-style artichoke. It was tasty but different than the first one eaten on day one in Rome.

Adrienne’s selection was lamb – 3 ways (lamb chop, lamb loin and lamb brain). She really enjoyed all three.

They had a special with chicken (de-boned) and peppers – which was my choice.

Eric had been wanting and waiting for his selection for years – Tripe, Roman style.

And since we didn’t have enough food yet…………we got two desserts to share.

Creme caramel
Pear steamed in red wine.

I literally could not eat another bite. Once we got back to our place, I stayed up several hours later then my norm just to let my food digest. It was a great meal – but way too much food.

Ginny

Rome history – part 2

by ginnyinshanghai

I need to get my steps in. How – the Spanish steps of course……..135 to be exact.

The steps were built to navigate a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti church, at the top.

Maybe you noticed the polizia in the photo above? There were fines for those sitting down (250 euros) and heavier fines for damaging or dirtying the steps (400 euros).

There was a competition for design in 1717 and completed in 1725. They have been restored and renovated a number of times. Travertine stone, brick, marble and plaster make up the steps.

Notice who is missing? Glad he brought along the blue jacket – he’s easier to spot.

Why the ‘spanish’ steps? At the bottom was the Spanish Embassy. I read that at certain times of the year, planned decorations line the steps. Around Christmas-time a 19th century manger is displayed on the first landing. In the spring-time, pots of azaleas can been seen. Not quite spring – yet. Dang.

Another fountain was found at the bottom. The pope commissioned Pietro Bernini in 1623 to build the fountain as part of a prior Papal project to erect a fountain in every major piazza in Rome. The fountain was completed between 1627 and 1629.

According to legend, as the River Tiber flooded in 1598, water carried a small boat into the Piazza di Spagna. When the water receded, a boat was deposited in the center of the square, and it was this event that inspired Bernini’s creation.

Can anyone come to Rome without seeing the Coliseum? I think not.

It is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is still the largest standing Amphitheatre in the world, despite its age. Contruction begin in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD. It could hold anywhere between 50K – 80K spectators at various points of history.

Entrance portals were numbered in the archway as seen below.

Yes, we were one of ‘those’ tourists, following our tour guide with a flag.

Part of our small-group tour include the underground of the coliseum. We saw a short film in an underground alcove, and it truly put you in the mindset of the gladiator’s journey coming into the coliseum. While some were fighting for sport, others were fighting for their life and freedom.

The Colosseum was built of travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete.  It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Roman mythology, and briefly mock sea battles.

We had a bit of our own excitement during our tour. Notice the bouncing drops?


That’s right – hail. Below are some of the pellets that collected along our walkway. We were very lucky that when it started, we were heading underground.

Although substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers, the Colosseum is still a renowned symbol of Imperial Rome.

Before exiting the coliseum, our tour guide brought us to another part of the building promising us a good photo spot. Here was one of the remaining gates into the city with the Palatine Hill behind it.

Last stop for this post………Trevi Fountain ‘Taming of the Waters’

At 86 feet high and 161 feet wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous. It is located at the junction of three roads and marks the terminal point of one of the aqueducts that supplied water to Rome for 400+ years.

As was common in Baroque times, a competition was held. Originally a Floratine won but public outcry gave the commission to a Roman, Nicola Salvi, who died before it was finished.

The work begun in 1732 and was finished in 1762. Four different sculptors were hired to complete the fountain and the majority was made from Travertine quarried near Tivoli, 22 miles east of Rome.

Behind the fountain is the  Palazzo Poli, a palace in Rome, altered in the 18th century to form the backdrop. There continues a tradition of coin tossing, using your right hand over the left shoulder. Estimates are 3000 euros are thrown daily into the fountain. The money is used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome’s poor.

A few more posts are coming before we head to Florence.

Ginny

Rome Eats – first post

by ginnyinshanghai

We ate well and continue to find awesome food establishments. Here are three from the first part of our week in Rome.

Four words describe the essence of this restaurant: Tradition, Family, Quality & Artisanship. They are committed to the culinary culture of the Emilia region.

We started with these two and OMG – they were talked about throughout our week.

Adrienne’s choice

Ginny’s choice

Eric’s choice

Desserts shared:

When in Rome – eat pizza! Emma is a restaurant-pizzeria.

Emma was born from a basic concept: to use only raw materials of the highest quality as ingredients of traditional Italian cuisine. Without compromise.

While we’ve had a number of starters with buffalo mozzarella, this ranks the highest – possibly due to the grated Muggine bottarga, or the olives or the tastiest tomatoes. Any and all of those ingredients make.the.dish!

They elevate the thin-crusted Roman-style pizza to a gourmet level with prestigious flours, long fermentation and high-quality ingredients.

No room for dessert, but a bit of dolce to end our meal.

Eric discovered this was ranked fourth for pizzerias in Rome. He made a good choice.

This was a recommendation from our AirBNB host – literally 1/2 block away from our place. That was a good thing. While we were waiting for our desserts to arrive, I got r.e.a.l.l.y sleepy and started to crash. In fact, we left Eric to pay the bill. As you might expect……Eric made friends. They had him taste other types of wine from the region. He enjoyed himself.

These were recommendations from our waitress and they did not disappoint. I was a little sketical of the anchovies, but as long as I choose the smallest and crispiest pieces – I was good. The eggplant cake? Eric needs to make this at home. I don’t like eggplant, period. I loved this.

fried anchovies
eggplant cake stack

Dinner:

Adrienne’s choice – pork w/ratatouille

Eric’s choice – Pasta Bolognese

Ginny’s choice – thinly sliced beef w/potatoes

Shared desserts:

chocolate lava cake

tiramisu & zabaglione

Very delicious meals – and only the start of our trip. I can’t wait to see (and taste) the many meals that are remaining.

Ginny

Rome History – Part 1

by ginnyinshanghai

Staying in the city center had so many advantages. Walking to historic sites was the main one. Soooooo much history in this city and you never knew when you turned a corner if you were going to find more Roman ruins – we did, a lot.

We were headed towards the Panthenon and came across this church.

In the 8th century there was an oratory on this spot, but it wasn’t until the Dominicans took final possession of the property that a church was built in 1280. It was one of the very few examples of Gothic architecture in Rome. It was in the convent adjacent to this that in 1633 Galileo adjured his scientific thesis to save his life from the condemnation of the Holy Inquisition.

It was quietly beautiful inside. Since this is considered a minor basilica, there were no hordes of tourists.

In 1628 two almost identical organs were placed above the choirs. The one in my photo was looted then set on fire. The other organ was removed and used in a basilica elsewhere in Italy. Eventually both organs were replaced in the 1900s.

Below the table on the high altar is a 15th century sarcophagus of St. Catherine of Siena, minus her skull and a finger found in a basilica in Siena. Eric is in the foreground.

Notice the statue to the left of Eric above? It caught Eric’s attention with the amount of detail.

‘Christ carrying the Cross‘

Totally was not expecting this. There was a bit of rope stanchioning this off, but truly we were within a few feet of the statue.

This ‘find’ was so unexpected, it was a highlight of our time in Rome.

Leaving the church, we were presented with the back side of our next find.

The Pantheon

The date of construction is uncertain and debated. It was built on an earlier temple on private land, fire burnt it down (several times) and the present-day building was ordered by emperor Hadrian 126 AD. In 609 AD it became a Catholic church.

It is one of the best preserved Ancient Roman buildings in large part due to continuous use throughout history. That’s not to say pieces and parts weren’t removed for other purposes or metalwork melted down for armory.

Since the Renaissance it became a fashionable burial place for painters, composers and even two kings.

The dome of course is one of most amazing feats. After 2000 years it is still the largest un-reinforced concrete dome in the world, at 142 feet in height and 142 feet in diameter. The thickness varies from 21 feet at the base to less than four feet around the oculus. Various materials were used as aggregate and could be travertine, terracotta tiles and pumice or tufa (volcanic rock) at the top.

The top of the oculus has never been covered allowing rainfall through the ceiling onto the floor going into floor drains to promote runoff.

The oculus and entry door are the only natural sources of light.

The history of the building pulled me in and I spent way too much time on the web going through links to find more info.

Occasionally you needed a break from history, and we found some great spots to do just that, as you’ll see in my next post.

Ginny

Italy – a new journey begins

by ginnyinshanghai

Ciao! As you might have guessed from the previous post……..we were packing with purpose. Another trip to Europe was planned and the time for departure was upon us.

Several years ago, I started a tradition for myself, if we are at least gone for 2 weeks. Adding an ‘unnatural color’ was not allowed in my workplace and it will eventually fade with continued washings. Just a bit of unexpected whimsy I like to add to my trips. As a fail-safe, I only add the color to the tips – JUST in case it doesn’t wash out quickly enough (oops 2023) and I’ll get my hair trimmed before going back to work.

Okay, let’s get back to the real story………

As with most trips, we stopped at the MCO Lounge for some refreshment.

We’ve been fortunate to grab the same 3 seats at the bar and caught up with the morning bar-tender we had met before.

It wasn’t all about the alcohol, some light refreshments were available. The protein bowl on the right was something new on the menu. LOVED the pretzel – possibly there were several ordered during our time inside. It was the perfect size for one.

There are some areas that are self-serve and they had a great coffee machine – push a button and you had a multitude of options. It was gone. Sadness. Until I found it in another corner of the lounge. Yep, that’s my cappuccino. Okay, now I’m ready to travel.

We started noticing the flight board inside the lounge was being updated with flight delays – but not ours…..yet. And then it was our flight. 😦 The lounge got r.e.a.l.l.y crowded at that time and went on a waitlist. Yikes!

The terminal wing was a total zoo. All were Delta flights and all were delayed due to lightening. Planes couldn’t land, planes couldn’t be serviced, no one could deplane so therefore we couldn’t fly out and everything stacked up.

At least our flight crew was here. That wasn’t the case for other flights.

I think everybody wanted to cheer when the flight arrived – but were too tired. Four+ hours later we headed to Atlanta for our connection.

We were so lucky (not) and got the chance to spend a night at the Atlanta Westin. No surprise, we missed our connecting flight. Crazy lines existed in Atlanta when we arrived due to all the flight delays in the South. I got on my phone trying to reach Delta, Eric got on a house phone to talk with Delta while we went through a (very) long Delta queue line to get a voucher for a hotel. Heavy sigh. Fortuitous that we didn’t check our bags – we normally do. We had our clothes and toiletries to make the stay-over a bit more comfortable. Small miracles do exist.

Good news – they re-booked our flights. Bad news – connecting through JFK New York before heading overseas. Best news – upgraded to first class for the overseas flight.

Finally headed to Europe. Interesting time-lapese video, catching some of the lights of New York before clouds blocked the view.

Eric convinced the gentleman next to me to trade seats. Adrienne was on the other side of the plane – she’s in the photo below. The flight started with a glass of prosecco. Okay – I like that.

The food was better in this section, no surprise there. My chicken was some of the best I’ve tasted. Eric liked his spinach ravioli.

Chicken with a smoked tomato sauce, Parmesan risotto, green beans and potato salad.
Spinach ravoli in white wine butter, roasted butternut squash and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Before landing in Rome, we flew over the European Alps.

Landing at Leonardo de Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (Rome’s Airport) we were still 35KM away from the city center and our apartment. The taxi ride to get there………….something special. So many cars, so many motorcycles combined with skinny streets. Parking is wherever someone finds a piece of pavement, slightly off of the street. Crazy!

Our 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment was along one of the tiny side steets. Our place was on the 4th floor up 5 flights of stairs. Or……….squeeze into the teeny, tiny elevator.

Cute window with a view of the nearby rooftops and courtyards.

Small kitchen, just enough space to store drinks & water in the fridge, bread, cheese and yogurt & fruit for breakfast.

First order of business was lunch. We’ve never gone wrong with suggestions from the owner of our lodging and today was no exception: Enoteca Corsi.

We started (and shared) the fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomato starter – oh my goodness, their mozzarella is so much better here.

My lunch selection was Cacio e Pepe: freshly-made pasta with parmesan cheese, butter and black pepper – one of Rome’s famous dishes.

Adrienne’s selection was an octopus salad.

Eric started with farro soup……….

………before the artichoke – Roman style arrived (braised and stuffed with garlic and herbs) sitting in a pool of olive oil. It looks prettier (only in my opinion) before being cooked.

Way more exciting things are coming, but we all crashed for an afternoon nap so we could keep going.

Ginny

Packing – inches & ounces

by ginnyinshanghai

This was something our first travel partners talked about. It’s a proven fact that the more you lug your suitcase around while are on vacation……….your suitcase continues to get heavier. Ha! Therefore, when packing for a trip, think about ways that you can save inches (smaller items, less things) while also thinking about the weight of said items.

Let’s start with suitcases……..

We have a soft-side suitcase and a hard-side suitcase. Why? ‘Soft’ to have some ‘give’ if you over-stuff or bring home too much. ‘Hard’ if you have something breakable, you’re bringing home. Pick them up when empty – ounces – there really are differences in weight. Inches – airlines are getting tighter with overhead bins and you want to know your bag will fit.

But truly one of the most important things………..select a bag that has color! You know your bag, until it pops up on the luggage carousel with the other hundred+ black bags, navy blue bags or charcoal grey bags. When you’re tired from flying, they all.look.the.same. Trust me.

Clothing:

You need to lay out your clothes to see how many combinations can be worn. If something has only 1-2 combinations – rethink your selection. Here is my packing list for a chilly spring 2-week overseas trip.

3 Pants – wear one and pack two pair.

3 Sweaters – wear one and pack two.

2 pairs of shoes – wear one and pack the other.

4 LS shirts – for layering or wearing alone.

3 SS shirts – wear one and pack the other two.

1 wrinkle-free blouse.

Sleeping clothes

Undergarments for 5 days – we always stay where we have washer & dryer during part of our trip.

3 scarves – because I can 🙂

Before closing your suitcase………be sure you don’t have any extra ‘baggage’.

Speaking of packing………until we get to our overseas destination, we split our clothes between the two suitcases. Our checked luggage has always arrived on time with us – but there is going to be a first time when it does not. Half of my clothes goes into his bag and half of his clothes go into my bag. Once we get to our locale, separate packing begins!

Backpacks or personal bag? I’ve carried several types of bags during our trips, but always go back to a backpack.

Ginny’s (left) Eric’s (right)

We have evolved into our own styles. Mine is water resistant, able to be cinched at the top, then a flap is secured into a clasp. A number of zippered compartments are nice – but not too many. My last backpack had so many zippered sections it took me awhile to have consistent organization. This one………. easy- peasey. Eric’s choice has only one front pocket, a leather cinch and buckle. Great for stuffing jackets, drinks, groceries or other odds & ends. He usually carries his during our sight-seeing excursions.

So that was about function, let’s talk about what to include in your backpack. On the plane, pack anything you never want to lose or can never replace – in your backpack. Otherwise, you know your basics: reading material, electronic devices & cords, jewelry, snacks (no nuts or anything super pungent – think about your fellow passengers) and your medicines. While we’ve always brought along our prescriptions, we have found through the years it’s been easier to bring some basic over-the-counter drugs with you than to go out chasing them once you’ve arrived and need them.

Last few things – a set of undergarments and extra shirt (from the list above). Frequent travelers will eventually have a time(s) when missed flights cause an unexpected overnight stay and those few things makes that a bit more comfortable. One of the last things I pack, extra pair of glasses. Again, you can get glasses replaced (most) anywhere in the world but I throw in my last pair worn for ease of mind.

One last piece of advice………….keep your spouse away from the actual packing. They see the ‘extra’ room and want to add another shirt, another pair of pants, another whatever they ‘might’ just need – but really they don’t.

Ginny

Florida Spring Flowers

by ginnyinshanghai

I think we all need a bit of color – definitely in spite of all the weather that is going on in the US. Rain (flooding & mudslides) along the West Coast, snow and ice in the middle of the country and lots of rain & snow along the East coast. Oh and then……… two solid days of rain in Florida -very unusual for us.

Some days you just need pretty flowers to brighten your day.

Here you go……………….

Snapdragons – a multitude of colors. These are great to grow in Florida during our ‘winter’ season. Like, now.

Always loved purple and this is a favorite plant combination: purple pansies and dusty miller with a few white pansies hiding amongst the foliage.

Pansy faces are so darn cute.

Pinks, pinks and other shades of pink.

We don’t see a lot of dahlias in Florida. Typically grown in areas that have some chilling temps overwinter – which means we use them as an annual here.

I can absolutely guarantee that I have never planted these two colors together. Hmmmmm, maybe I need to rethink that.

Sun Impatiens………. more easily grown in Florida than other similar varieties.

My husband has always promoted mixing up the types of flowers in a plant bed. Truth be told – never done it.

Such a gorgeous shade of pink for this snapdragon.

I’m always drifting to the flower beds with pinks. Mixed in with the (multiple varieties) of impatiens were the taller dianthus. The white impatiens help the other colors really pop. 🙂

I found this small spot of whimsey.

I haven’t mentioned our flowering trees. They are just starting to bloom.

Hong Kong Orchid Tree – kind of gangly and not really the best photo or the easiest to take.

And yes, some of my photos were taken during one of our two days of rain.

Tabebuia – yellow trumpet trees. The sun was shining as I walked up………then I never saw it again. These trees are trully ‘show-stoppers’. All the leaves drop, flower buds come out and then they pop open. As you can see below, the entire tree is yellow and can been seen from great distances.

If the sun had been shining, you would see that these flowers are the brightest of bright yellow.

Not everything worked out as I would have liked. Here are the Tabebuia PInk Trumpet Trees. They looked pretty good from a distance, along a bank of plants.

Get up close and they don’t look quite as attractive. I just couldn’t find a flower cluster within reach that looked great.

My last few shots are planter boxes where there is one dominant color but numerous, different flowers in each box. The red one was most intriguing to me. Never would have planted red-ish pansies with geraniums and petunias.

Reds:

Blues/Purples:

Yellows:

This was in the yellow planter box but couldn’t get it in the original photo above since it was taller than most of the other plants.

Pretty flowers for a dreary day.

Ginny

Toronto Food & Drink

by ginnyinshanghai

The final chapter of our Canadian adventure………..

Two breweries were within walking distance and we definitely hit the jackpot with the first one. Yep, pretty much in the heart of the city.

This was a beer and brewery dreamed up in the spring of 1998 by three friends on a canoe trip in Ontario’s beautiful heartland. They live by the motto: Do one thing really, really well. What does that mean? They have 1 option, 1 beer, a pilsner – well kind of. You could ask for filtered or unfiltered. :) 

We needed a break from walking downtown Toronto and came upon this place and discovered they had a tour within the hour.

What a great tour. Before starting, you were handed their beer in a green bottle then started walking. They used only four ingredients, and the pilsner had a golden hue with aromatics of fresh baked bread and saaz hops. Yep – copied that straight from their website. The palate was dry with a refreshing clean and crisp taste.

Something a little different on this tour, we were given a small handful of the barley (far left jar above) and tasted it – not bad. Next is water, then dried hops. This guy was good. He said just enough for most on the tour to try the hops, warning us it was bitter. I didn’t bite. Adrienne did.

Definitely needed a swig of the finished product after that.

The tour guide had us in stitches most of the tour – he was a talker. He should be doing stand-up comedy! We both talked about this during the remainder of our stay in Toronto – definitely a highlight.

The other brewery was nice – much bigger, located along the waterfront, much more into the social family marketing, the warehouse atmosphere and sports.

It was a nice way to spend an afternoon. Add in a pretzel and life was good.

Let’s talk food. Three of our eating establishments were within walking distance. First up a lunch spot. Toronto has one of the largest Chinatowns in the Americas.

Mother’s Dumplings was one of the highest rated spots for dumplings – yeah!

Add in a few other dishes and you had one of our typical meals while in Shanghai.

One cool thing……………8 dumplings come with each order versus the normal 6, score!

One of our first evening meals was at Pearl Diver. Yes, it was quite chilly.

We started with a dozen oysters.

Add in some spicey pan-fried edamame, tossed with garlic, chili and sea salt.

………along with Pearly clam chowder and kimchi fried rice.

Filled in the cracks with Sticky Toffee Pudding – O.M.G! Didn’t look like much when it came to the table, but Wow! It was absolutely delicious! We were scraping every last morsel from the plate.

Earlier in the week we kept seeing The Keg Steakhouse + Bar restaurant and walked past several in Toronto. Googled it and discovered the company was founded in 1971 in British Columbia. Today it operates in nine provinces and five American states.

The Keg is well known for buying up historic properties, refurbishing them and turning them into restaurants. Nice. We tried the parmesan poppers and tuna tartare. The tuna was the star.

We had eaten soooooooo much, I wanted a salad – a wedge salad. It was delicious. Accompanying our meal (no surprise) Sangria.

We had just enough room to share a dessert: chocolate & caramel ice cream pie – which was humongous! That’s not a trick of photo-shopping.

Our last evening we saved for Bar Isabel – a tapas bar & restaurant. We had to grab an Uber to get there.

Be warned, the lighting inside the restaurant was odd and all of my photos have a red tint. What every meal should start with……….

We had assumed that Sangria would be available but alas it was not. This was an excellent substitute – more than one for each of us arrived throughout the meal.

Being a Tapas joint, we ordered a few items during the duration so that everything did not arrive at once. First up: patatas bravas (cubed potatoes) and shredded Brussel sprouts – they are there somewhere under all of the toppings. 

No Spanish meal is complete without olives. Sprinkled with a bit of smoked paprika – delicious.

The star of the meal……………grilled octopus. You could order a full octopus, half octopus order or a quarter. We got the quarter. It was very tasty.

We thought it was going to be the star……………..

Until this arrived. O.M.G. this was absolutely delicious. It was another dessert that didn’t look ‘exciting’ when it arrived, but we were scraping every last morsel from the plate.

So ended our last evening in Toronto.

Another place that I can check-off of my bucket list.

Ginny

Toronto ‘art’ findings

by ginnyinshanghai

Staying downtown Toronto after turning in our rental car was all about walking the streets. It gave us an opportunity to walk past a variety of ‘fun’ things. Like these ants. We were waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green, looked up, and these were found near the top of the brick building. There were at least seven easily seen.

Shortly afterward we came across this painted butterfly on an apartment building.

We were headed towards a quirky neighborhood called Kensington Market – a distinctive multicultural neighborhood in downtown Toronto. It is an older neighborhood and one of the city’s most well-known. Now, I’ll be frank, I was expecting a ‘market’ not really a neighborhood, so we didn’t realize we were in it until we walked through it. 😦 We turned around. We saw interesting and quirky places, both to eat and shop, but I also found some artwork. Here was a streetlight. Or do you call it a street lamp? Or what?

Outside one shop was this photo spot – which I believe sold cannabis. No, I did not partake.

One gentleman was sitting on his front porch and had several metalworks along the side of his house.

Praying mantis?

Looking up, saw this cat – BTW, not alive.

There was ‘traditional’ graffiti found in a few places – mostly along alleyways. Every time I looked at this, I found some items not seen before. Literally, e.v.e.r.y.t.i.m.e I look at it. While I was tweaking a few statements before hitting ‘publish’ – found more new things.

We did find a little chalk-art and I loved the fish. I only captured these 5, but there were 2-3 more ‘swimming’ around. They were leading people into their aquarium attraction. Art with a purpose – I like that.

This flower and hummingbird was cute and had an ‘X’ to mark the spot for the best photo angle. Yes, it made a difference. 🙂

The last outdoor artwork seen was this rock sculpture at the airport – cute. First, I thought it was waving ‘goodbye’ but now I think it is one of the individuals that guide planes in and out of their gates. Your thoughts?

Besides walking the streets, eating and drinking were another aspect of our laid-back visit. That is coming up next.

Ginny