My 10th 21st Birthday :)

What trip to Portland would be complete without a trip to the PSU Farmer's Market and a big juicy burger w/beer battered fries from Henry's Tavern? Well, it wouldn't...two of my mom's favorite places and also my favorite places...after sleeping in, we hopped over to the Farmer's Market for some good ol' stick to your ribs bfast items...we both had a big biscuit sandwich w/ bacon, egg and cheese (all local and organically grown :))...to further our support of the local businesses and farmers we bought fruit, flowers and jam (and cookies and bread)...then we searched high and low for my mom's favorite white wine - Moscato D'Asti - an Italian varietal that is crisp, refreshing and most importantly sweet...we found not one, but two bottles...then it was nap time (at least for me - I'm still on Italian time I think). Dinner was at Henry's Tavern...we both got the Swiss Mushroom burger (cooked medium)...gotsta' be the best burger in Ptown...hands down!!! (Pictured here: My mom and I at the flower stand at the PSU Farmer's Market).

Day b4 Bday - Sur La Table Cooking Class

My mom arrived in town yesterday...so far she has reorganized my kitchen and bathroom (for the record, it was just fine before...but a mother's touch always helps)...now all I have to do is figure out where she put everything :) Tonight we signed up for a cooking class at Sur La Table (a high-end culinary store in the Pearl District)...the theme for the class was a "Provencal Dinner Party." We has a collage of food, from ratatouille, garbanzo beans w/ carrots and orange, a beef stew-like dish and a chocolate cake with a custard sauce (made by your's truly) and freshly made vanilla bean icecream...mmmm, mmmmmm, mmmmmmmm...during dessert everyone sang happy birthday for two of us (see video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXyvLd89nrQ)...life is good...very, very good.

Outtakes, intakes, uptakes and downtakes...from behind the camera...

Buongiorno and Buonasera...now that I'm back in the good ol' US of A I was able to upload alotta mo' videos to YouTube for your viewing pleasure...I've categorized the videos for easy viewing :) ...Even though this blog posting is all about videos, I had to throw in a pic - this is me giving the pasta dough a good pounding...hey, I was just following directions!

Rome:

• Summer Time Blues Tribute - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek_4i12UZk8
  Bianca Notte (annual "music" event) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X9Yq8cMiDE
• Lunch Time in Trastavere - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxIH2CRMuh0
  Tour of Vatican Museum Part I - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzrtFPA_FxE
• Tour of Vatican Museum Part II - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_oKLc36rDQ

Florence:

• The start of my Accidental Tourist Experience - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLni5wMt7NM
• Inside the Duomo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djfxRVc93_4
• Outside the Dumo - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfnYoL4W3ss

Cortona:

• Tuscan style cooking class - the art of pasta making - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_69lkObrHQ
• Biking around Lago Trasimeno (I actually biked around the whole Lake, contrary to my commentary) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw1AuRh8EGI

Icing on the Cake and the Cherry on Top...

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better...my last two days in Italy did! I visited with Malcolm and Maureen Barnes (their son, Paul, is a friend of mine from Nike) and their friends on the Eastern side of the Apennine Mountain range basking in the idyllic beauty of the lush tree-covered hills and vineyards dotting the landscape...Malcolm and Maureen (bottom picture) picked me up from the train station and they quickly whisked me away to Assisi - those of you who know your history, this is the city where St. Francis (1182 - 1226) did all his selfless work with the poor and hungry...we visited St. Francis Basilica where his tomb is kept...hard to put into words the atmosphere in the crypt...all you could do was absorb the energy and reflect. Contrast that with the grape picking in a family owned vineyard in the foothills of Apennine Mountains (owners Ronalto and Adrianna are in the top picture)...our task was to pick as many grape bunches as we could before the rains came (and they did come)...this was such a fun experience...not only because it was cool being part of the supply chain of bringing wine to people's wine glasses, but more importantly because of the people I met during the day...the group of grape pickers included two English couples, a Dutch couple, an laborer from Ethiopia, a couple of Italians and a sole American (that's me!)...to show their appreciation for the work our group did, Ronalto and Adrianna made an amazing lunch for all of us and they gave me a couple bottles of their wine to take home (one broke in transit...boo, hoo, sniffle, sniffle).

Look out for many more pics and stories in my kodakgallery photo album (not started yet) and more videos on YouTube.com...Thanks for taking this adventure with me!

Cortona...a place where everybody knows your name...

After a week or so in the hectic urban tourist world of Roma and Firenze...I took a path less traveled by...or at least I thought so...my third stop was Cortona, is a hillside town in Tuscany, but close to the border of Umbria (a distinct Region of Italy)...it was a recommendation of a friend of a friend and I figured, what the heck...all I can say is that this place is a must see and I hope to return here...a sampling of my experiences while in/around Cortona: 1) Stayed in an amazing apartment fit for a king (or queen) near the main Piazza (square), 2) Took a cooking class from a local chef named Donatella (pictured here: Donatella and I posing after our amazing Tuscan meal), 3) Had some of the best Tiramasu ever!, 4) Took a day trip to Lago Trasimeno (Lake Trasimeno), rented a bike and saw some amazing country-side...5) Did I mention the Tuscan cooking class?...whoa - era squizito!...6) Tried to buy a pair of jeans so I could look presentable at church (I decided not to bring jeans or any long pants with me...oops!)...turns out that Italian jeans are designed for men with chicken-legs...yes, italian men may have great accents and an acute sense of style, but my gosh...i tried on like 10 pairs of jeans and they all were too tight around my thighs...i guess all that hiking and biking put me out of contention for the "most stylish jeans" award. I'll have to settle for "most comfortably dressed." I can live with that...well, this will be my last blog until I return to the Stati Uniti (United States)...tomorrow I am going grape picking on a vineyard on the East Coast of Italy...yes, life is tough, very, very tough...until we read again...Ciao! (Editors note: no videos on this blog...my internet connection cannot handle them...don't worry, there will be more videos, but you'll have to wait). Ciao...

Accidental Tourist - Enjoying the finer things in life...

I am currently in Cortona, Italia...a small hillside town perched above the farms and fields on the border of Umbria and Tuscany...its about an hour and a half south of Firenze (Florence) and the same distance north from Roma...I just started exploring Cortona today (9-12), so let me first tell you about Firenze...My 3 days in Firezne included: walking all over the city, eating lotsa gelato, drinking lots of vino (wine) and absorbing the scultpures dotting the landscape...the highlight for me in Firenze was hooking onto a day long wine tasting, olive oil tasting and cooking class through Accidental Tourist...it cost 85 euro for the day and I would have paid 2x as much knowing what I know now...dont get me wrong, seeing Michelangelos "David" in the Accademia Museum was something I will never forget...it was 18 feet of polished marble sculpted to perfection...however, not being the refined type, I prefer to have experiences that go off the beaten path and out of the hustle and bustle of urban tourism...thats where Accidental Tourist (http://www.accidentaltourist.com/) came in...there were about 11 people on the tour, plus 2 tour guides (Enzl and Alexander)...we started our tour by visiting an estate in the Chianti District where they make their own olive oil (thats EVOO for you Rachel Ray fans!) and Chianti (which is a very popular wine....remember if it doesnt have at least 75% Sangiovese grapes, then its NOT Chianti) Video (not so good lighting) - in the winery where Chianti is being aged in big Oak barrels - Enzl explaing a part of the wine making process (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSwcjbw-Fc8). After learning about the EVOO making and wine making processes, we had a tasting of each...yummo! We floated over to a renovated farmhouse to learn the fine art of making ravioli, tortellini and fettucini from scratch...(Video: the landscape around the farmhouse where we cooked and ate our amazing Tuscan meal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOMNDc2v-ZE). I highly recommend this experience for anyone interested in a non-traditional tour where you meet great people, have amazing food and create lasting memories! Pictured here: Donna, a fellow accidental tourist, and I enjoy some red wine while the fettucini we just made dries on the racks to the left).

Arrivederci Roma...Buongiorno Firenze!

My days in Roma are coming to an end...i have a chance at the back end of my trip to soak it up even more, but for now, its time to move on to Firenze (Florence). The last two days have been spent enjoying a different side of Roma...I walked to Trastevere, a neighborhood just south of city center, for a nice lunch at Augusta...where i met a guy from Germany (Chris) who ended his career in the culinary arts for a more satisfying endeavor...photography. Although I am a not at the caliber of Ansel Adams, Chris recommened i go check out a photo collection at Museo di Roma in Trastevere by Paolo Pellegrin...Paolo is one of the best still life photographers in the world and takes pictures that will tug on your heart strings...glad i went. After lunch I meandered (sights, sounds and crosswalks of Roma - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqB4_4dBbq4) back to my new home (Legends Hostel) where I met a fun group of people (Gorret from Holland, Charles from Montreal, Garth from South Africa, Zoya and Suna from Pakistan and Nadira from Malaysia)...we all decided to go on a pub crawl...All I can say is that it was a fun night and for some reason international audiences really dig my dancin skillz...(Pictured here: At a Gelateria in Trastevere...flavors were chocolate w-arrancia (orange) and custard...era squizito!!!). Editors note: my spelling and grammar is getting atrocious...some of it has to do with the international keyboard, but most of it is just due to brain cells dying...

Roma, Italy - the first 24 hours

Buongiorno! After not sleeping for 24 ish hours...i decided to overload my senses with two guided walking tours of the Colloseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill...lesson learned: no sleep plus lots of information spoken in english-italian equals incoherent commentary on YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxNQqQAHnGI). That was day 1...day 2 was a self-guided walking tour of Roma...started from my Hostel on the East side of Roma and walked all the way to Vatican City (a separate soveriegn country where the Pope and 899 of his cronies live)...truth be told, its about an hour walk if you dont get lost or stop at any other sites (took me 2.5 hours). Along the way, i saw Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, and lots of motor scooters willing to take my life away in an instant if i dared step in the street. The saying goes: unless you are the Pope or a woman with children walking across the street in Roma...dont be surprised if you have lots of heart-pounding moments...Welcome to Roma! I spent 4 hours at Vatican City where I saw St. Peters Square (Piazza), St. Peters Basilica (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryt4hGKLJxQ), Vatican Museum and the world renowned Sistine Chapel (no pics or videos allowed or they club you over the head!). Im off to find a new home for the weekend and see what else Roma has to throw at me...Ciao! (pictured here: TMP inside the Roman Colloseum...where Russell Crowe (in Gladiator) beat the snot out of everthing that came his way!...about two thirds of the Colloseum is gone due to erosion and recycling type activities...it held 60,000 plus roaring Romans two thousand years ago).

Freedom Traveler...

One last blog before I hop on the plane to Roma and wherever else my feet (and euro) take me...some friends (thanks Katrina and Julia) at work encouraged me to pack lightly for my trip...pictured here is the end result...my hiking amicos (friends) know that I usually take way more in weight on a hike (backpack on left) than what I am taking on my trip to Italy (backpack on right)...as my dad always says when he comes to visit from Indiana, "if I forgot something, I guess I'll just have to buy it when I get there!" I have all the bare essentials...thus begins my journey as a Freedom Traveler...

Cathedral of the Outdoors...

Summer is winding down and I'm heading off for my Italian odyssey soon...I had to get one more hike in on my most "favoritist" mountain...Cooper Spur is on the NE side of Mt Hood. The trail tops out at 8,500 feet above sea level (just 2,800 feet shy of the summit...you can almost reach out and grab it!)...today it was a super highway of hikers barreling their way up and down the natural stairway...Grandma Papp always encourages me to go to church, but she never said which one. I decided (as I usually do) to spend some time in the Cathedral of the Outdoors...the pristine landscape and beauty of all things natural put me in a mood of gratitude...I hope everyone is enjoying their Holiday weekend! (Pictured here: b/w pic of Mt. Hood from the top of Cooper Spur...tie in rock in the foreground).