Thanksgiving in Arezzo

I spent Thanksgiving in Arezzo with Rachel and her boyfriend, Simone. We cooked a WHOLE Thanksgiving dinner for their Italian friends: Turkey (specially ordered), sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, baked brie wrapped in pastry dough with brown sugar and almond glaze, apple pie, and chocolate chip cookies. Go us!!
(NOTE: I made cc cookies here in Rome for some Italian friends of mine a few weeks back. Based on this, the response this weekend in Arezzo, and past experience with giving Italians choc chip cookies, Italians are nuts for CCCs! It restores their faith in the wonders of American cuisine)

On Saturday we went shopping at an outlet mall then to Florence to browse around. We stopped at a McDonalds on the autostrada for a snack, all'Americano. I have to say that I think even McFlurrys are better here.

Pics:












Florence:

Berlin, a little late

Sorry this took so long....street scenes and more, Berlin:











"All Art Has Been Contemporary"









Holocaust Memorial:





Berlin Wall:

Berlin pics coming soon...

Dublin, Ireland

I went over to Dublin for a few days last week. It was so cold and gray that I missed Rome, where it's usually sunny. But it was an interesting city and I took lots of pictures. As far as I can tell, Dubliners love: beer, coffee (in giant take away cups, a la American), and shopping. I was there for the election and it was also interesting to see how into it the Irish were. I guess the whole world was hoping.

Area around the river:







Street shots:











Doors:







Rooftops that reminded me of the chimney sweepers' song and dance number from Mary Poppins, the beloved favorite movie of my childhood that I saw perhaps 1000 times:



Coffee and Cake. I was so excited to be in a country where one could buy giant coffees and American-style baked goods that i even took pictures of them. Below, two cappuccinos and a slice of apple tea bread:







Another thing you can't find in Rome: Mexican food. Corn & chicken soup and a quesadilla in nontraditional form:



The owner of the restaurant told me that Dubliners prefer the burrito shape because it's easier to eat while walking.



St. Patrick's Church. So beautiful:














Dublin castle from the outside. There are only so many museums you can deal with in a day. I went to 3 in one day in Dublin. For me, that's pretty much a record that I may never hit again. My museum tolerance is extremely low, usually hovering around 1/day.