I'm officially passing 60, (as in turning 61) in a pub outside of San Terenzo Italy.
(Isn’t there something wonderfully ecumenical about a town on the shores of the Italian Riviera named for a Scottish Bishop?) I'm here thanks to the rave ratings that the B&B Lizzo got on VRBO. It was in my price range, right where I wanted to be and while I couldn't believe it could be as good as it sounded at that price, it has proven to be all that and more. Maria, who is my hostess, picked me up at the train station in Sestri yesterday and was gracious enough to give me both a tour. We stopped at a market so I could stock up on wine, salami, cheese, local fruit & tomatoes etc. Then I got gift #1. I got so excited about the selection of ridiculously cheap Italian wine that I left my wallet on the shelf, which I of course didn't discover till I got to the check out. After about a minute of panic, the wallet had, of course, been turned in, with all credit cards and cash untouched. Today I awoke not to the forecasted rainy day, but a stormy sky with intermittent patches of blue. The garden outside my window was redolent with kiwi fruit, grapes and grapefruit,
not to mention a spectacular view of the sea. After a very productive morning of writing, blogging and catching up on email, I ventured forth for a run to Lerici, the next town down the coast. To get there, you run along a spectacular boardwalk that stretches for a full 5 K from San Terenzo to Lerici, and there were more "Kodak moments" (or should I say "Instagram moments" ) along the way than I could ever have imagined. Having arrived in Lerici, I spent some time wandering its narrow stair-stepped streets, and then, noticing an accumulation of malevolent cloud banks, and bearing in mind a 6 pm client conference call, headed back to San Terenzo. Stopped for the only bad food I’ve eaten in Italy. A terrible frozen yogurt, which I replaced with a mediocre gelato and an even more mediocre Latte. Which got me to Birthday Gift #2: I had Google Mapped the walk back up to B&B Lizzo, and thought I had a pretty good idea where I was going until after about an hour, I realized Google Maps (not Apple Maps, I swear) had taken me to a place that was at least one town over and probably 3 km from where I was staying. And, of course by that time, I was down to less than 10% battery left on my phone and had no clue as to where I was.. I walked back toward what looked like civilization(there was at least a sign for a Fiat dealer, whether that represents civilization probably depends on your experience with Fiats.) The only open place in town was a hotel. My Italian is essentially high-school French spoken with an Italian accent but I managed to convey that I was lost and where I was trying to go. The, (of course) gorgeous tall Italian male at the front desk reassured me that I was "very close" and asked me where I was parked. When I told him I’d walked there, Senore Galahad, fetched his keys and deposited me right at my door step. I managed to communicate that he had given me the best "presento birthaday" I could have imagined. Made it back in time for a shower AND my client call and decided I'd recovered enough to wander down the hill yet again to the local pub, where I encountered Gift #3. The “pub” is very rustic and unassuming, but when I conveyed that I would like a “BIG” red wine (you can imagine the pantomime) they opened a special bottle. Then came the bread – an amazing “pumpkin bread” that was like a perfectly baked baguette with an overlay of pumpkin. It may be the only pumpkin bread I ever make. I was informed that the special was “pig on polenta,” which was far more appetizing than it sounds. The “pig” was like pulled pork and possibly the tastiest meat I’ve ever eaten. The polenta was heaven in a grain, although I’m afraid Julia Child and Paula Dean combined would have used less butter. While waiting for my meal, the proprietor asked me about New Hampshire, saying “New Hampshire -- it is first in US for president, no?” YAY!. Thank you to Bill and Hugh Gregg and all the hardworking team at the NH Political Library for contributing to NH's reputation abroad. Once again I am amazed at how informed people from other countries are about ours. My host WATCHED the news of the NH Primary on TV! Not to VisitNH, have we thought about promoting political tours of NH to international audiences? Desert was a flan like thing with caramel sauce that almost tops Pam Week’s chocolate raspberry cake as the best birthday cake ever. . I thought dancing my way into 60 surrounded by all my favorite people was the best birthday I could ever aspire to and that's how I entered this milestone year. But exiting it in an Italian pub, surrounded by no one I know, but full of amazing experiences and fabulous food and wine, ain't so bad either..
(Isn’t there something wonderfully ecumenical about a town on the shores of the Italian Riviera named for a Scottish Bishop?) I'm here thanks to the rave ratings that the B&B Lizzo got on VRBO. It was in my price range, right where I wanted to be and while I couldn't believe it could be as good as it sounded at that price, it has proven to be all that and more. Maria, who is my hostess, picked me up at the train station in Sestri yesterday and was gracious enough to give me both a tour. We stopped at a market so I could stock up on wine, salami, cheese, local fruit & tomatoes etc. Then I got gift #1. I got so excited about the selection of ridiculously cheap Italian wine that I left my wallet on the shelf, which I of course didn't discover till I got to the check out. After about a minute of panic, the wallet had, of course, been turned in, with all credit cards and cash untouched. Today I awoke not to the forecasted rainy day, but a stormy sky with intermittent patches of blue. The garden outside my window was redolent with kiwi fruit, grapes and grapefruit,
not to mention a spectacular view of the sea. After a very productive morning of writing, blogging and catching up on email, I ventured forth for a run to Lerici, the next town down the coast. To get there, you run along a spectacular boardwalk that stretches for a full 5 K from San Terenzo to Lerici, and there were more "Kodak moments" (or should I say "Instagram moments" ) along the way than I could ever have imagined. Having arrived in Lerici, I spent some time wandering its narrow stair-stepped streets, and then, noticing an accumulation of malevolent cloud banks, and bearing in mind a 6 pm client conference call, headed back to San Terenzo. Stopped for the only bad food I’ve eaten in Italy. A terrible frozen yogurt, which I replaced with a mediocre gelato and an even more mediocre Latte. Which got me to Birthday Gift #2: I had Google Mapped the walk back up to B&B Lizzo, and thought I had a pretty good idea where I was going until after about an hour, I realized Google Maps (not Apple Maps, I swear) had taken me to a place that was at least one town over and probably 3 km from where I was staying. And, of course by that time, I was down to less than 10% battery left on my phone and had no clue as to where I was.. I walked back toward what looked like civilization(there was at least a sign for a Fiat dealer, whether that represents civilization probably depends on your experience with Fiats.) The only open place in town was a hotel. My Italian is essentially high-school French spoken with an Italian accent but I managed to convey that I was lost and where I was trying to go. The, (of course) gorgeous tall Italian male at the front desk reassured me that I was "very close" and asked me where I was parked. When I told him I’d walked there, Senore Galahad, fetched his keys and deposited me right at my door step. I managed to communicate that he had given me the best "presento birthaday" I could have imagined. Made it back in time for a shower AND my client call and decided I'd recovered enough to wander down the hill yet again to the local pub, where I encountered Gift #3. The “pub” is very rustic and unassuming, but when I conveyed that I would like a “BIG” red wine (you can imagine the pantomime) they opened a special bottle. Then came the bread – an amazing “pumpkin bread” that was like a perfectly baked baguette with an overlay of pumpkin. It may be the only pumpkin bread I ever make. I was informed that the special was “pig on polenta,” which was far more appetizing than it sounds. The “pig” was like pulled pork and possibly the tastiest meat I’ve ever eaten. The polenta was heaven in a grain, although I’m afraid Julia Child and Paula Dean combined would have used less butter. While waiting for my meal, the proprietor asked me about New Hampshire, saying “New Hampshire -- it is first in US for president, no?” YAY!. Thank you to Bill and Hugh Gregg and all the hardworking team at the NH Political Library for contributing to NH's reputation abroad. Once again I am amazed at how informed people from other countries are about ours. My host WATCHED the news of the NH Primary on TV! Not to VisitNH, have we thought about promoting political tours of NH to international audiences? Desert was a flan like thing with caramel sauce that almost tops Pam Week’s chocolate raspberry cake as the best birthday cake ever. . I thought dancing my way into 60 surrounded by all my favorite people was the best birthday I could ever aspire to and that's how I entered this milestone year. But exiting it in an Italian pub, surrounded by no one I know, but full of amazing experiences and fabulous food and wine, ain't so bad either..
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