Hanging in the UK

We have had the best time since we arrived in the United Kindgom on Sunday morning.  We took the train into London from Heathrow and immediately hit the town.  One of our "jet lag" fighting techniques is to see the sun set before we allow ourselves to sleep the first night.  There is something about your mind seeing the sunset that allows you to function like a semi normal person the next day -- or at least that's what we think!

We checked into the Hilton Park Lane Sunday and immediately headed out to see some sights.  I can't believe how warm it was last weekend.  I was certainly too warm walking around in jeans and a tank.  I know that everyone says to stay away from the Oxford Circus for shopping, but we wanted to check it out.  The area is incredibly congested.  I tried to peruse a Top Shop and it was basically a nightmare!

Anyway, we kept going until we ran into the British Museum.  We did a little bit of walking through the museum, which is free to the public.  It's so interesting to me that all of the precious artifacts are just on display with nothing but a sign to discourage people from running their grubby paws across an ancient marble statue or an Egyptian casket.  The Rosetta Stone was incredible!  The bathrooms, not so much.  We took the "underground" back to our hotel to change clothes and have tea.

British Museum

The British Museum is known for its Egyptian collection.

Tea at our hotel.

After tea, we headed over to Kensington/Knightsbridge area to check out Harrods.  Love Love LOVE Harrods!  It was so incredible inside.  I mean, I live in a large city that has tons of shopping, but this department store was all that had expected!  I loved walking in the door to the purse department.  Then, we headed straight for the food hall.  We walked around, then decided to grab some chocolate ganache macaroons.  We then took the "Egyptian Escalators" all the way to the top, stopping in random departments along the way.  Love Harrods!!

Eric playing model riding the escalators down for a photo op!

We hit a Top Shop across the street from Harrods and then found our way to Amaya for dinner.  Amaya is one of just a few restaurants featuring Indian Cuisine to receive a prestigious Michelin Star.  More on that in the next post!  On the walk back, we hit my first genuine British Pubs for some "bitters".  It was a great first day!!

The Nags Head

The Grenadier pub

Before we headed out to Reading on Monday, we made sure to see some sights -- duh!  We took the underground to St. Paul's Cathedral and did the audio tour there.  Then, on the way back to the hotel, we stopped by Parliment and Big Ben.  It was really cool and I snapped some good pics.  Lastly, we swung past Westminster Abbey and by Buckingham Palace (our reservation isn't until the 26th, so we didn't go inside) for a quick look. We finished our trek by cutting through St. James Park and Green Park.  Whew!  We don't believe in easy vacations, even if they are work vacations!!

St. Paul's Cathedral

"Look kids, there's Big Ben, there's Parliment...."
- European Vacation

The parks are so beautiful!

View of the edge of St. James Park.  This park will be used for rowing events in the 2012 Olympic Games.

What should we see when we head back into London in two weeks??

Destination: Montepulciano, Italy

One of my favorite stops during our Tuscan road trip was Montepulciano, Italy.  This medieval hilltop town completely stole my heart!  The streets are so narrow that I was nervous riding in our Fiat Panda through the small corridors.  We had the most incredible views of the countryside from our hotel room.  We arrived right at sunset and had the opportunity to see the most magical sunset!  After sundown, we wandered through wine cellars and cheese cellars.  We bought cheese and cured meats for road snacks for the next day.  Montepulciano has the most beautiful ceramics and copper wares.  Of course, how could you not mention the wine?!  Montepulciano is home to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, d'Abrezzo Montepulciano, and the young, yet incredibly tasty, Rosso. (I have even recently added a Rose from the region into my summer wine rotation!)

One of the more exciting finds in this town was when we realized that New Moon was set in Voltaire, Italy, but filmed in Montepulciano.  Then, we discovered that RPatz and KStew not only stayed in our hotel, but in our exact room!  The small hotel was within feet of the center of the town and a perfect location for them to post up before and after shooting.

View from our hotel room.

View of the valley from the edge of the town.

Agritourismos in the distance!

I love the warm colors of the sky set against the cool colors of the hills below

Duomo - The pope wouldn't allow a lot of the hill towns to finish the construction of their duomos since the structures represented allegiance to the town and not to the church as a whole

Palazzo Tarugi

Palazzo Comunale - This should definitely remind you of New Moon!

Cantina Contucci - We did a quick tasting here and bought some bottles of wine.

Wine barrels in the cellars

The winding roads at night

We found the cutest mechanic sweeping out his shop.  Eric thought his dad would love to see these pics.  We had a very strained conversation in Italian.  He wanted to know so much about Eric's family's Harley Davidsons.  I should have spent more time with my Rosetta Stone!!

He was so sweet and welcoming.  I was surprised to see an Oklahoma plate.  He loved finding out that I was from there!!

Steep and narrow streets in Montepulciano

Pictures of the New Moon mania in and around our hotel

RPatz leaving the front door of our hotel!

Inside the Duomo

Just down the hill is The Sanctuary of San Biagio

View of Montepulciano from the bottom of the hill

Inside The Sanctuary of San Biagio

We had the best time in Montepulciano!  I don't think I'll ever see another town quite like it.  In my next post, I'll share our very special Valentine's Day dinner with you and talk about the importance of Slow Food to Italians.

Destination: Arezzo, Italy

Upon leaving Bologna, we headed South towards Arezzo, Italy.  Arezzo rests atop a very steep hill.  This placement allows for steep sloped streets and wonderful views once you've trekked to the top.  In Arezzo, we had our first taste of authentic Tuscan food.  I loved the iron work, the vanishing frescos in the churches, and the beautiful painted crucifixes hanging behind the church alters.

We happened to be there during the feast of the Virgin Mary so the city was alive with activity.  The chapel dedicated to her in the duomo was decorated with the most beautiful roses.

First stop, lunch!

We didn't know what to order, so the owner picked the courses for us.  He was wonderful, it's so great to be in Italy!!
Top
(L) Traditional Tuscan bread soup with olive oil on top
(R) Antipasto and buffalo mozzarella
Bottom
(L) Bolognese sauce
(R) "Tuscan Sampler" - Beans, roasted meats (I loved the one in the wine sauce), mushrooms, spinach

We declined a coffee service, so the owner brought us a surprise anyway.  An espresso cup with a fresh, still warm muffin inside!

I love these little dedications all over the city.

Basilica of San Domenico

I love picturing the walls covered with these beautiful frescos

Crucifix by Cimabue; this work is so amazing in person, delicate, simple, yet, so moving

View of the town below the old part.  If you can tell, it's much more modern than the ancient hilltop portion of Arezzo.

Example of the medieval ironwork.  Beautiful!! -- You'll begin to notice a trend as this journey continues.

Roman tribute statue.  Just outside the amphitheater.

We were there on such a glorious day.  The clouds and blue sky were so inspiring.

Duomo

The chapel was decorated for the Feast of Virgin Mary

City street

Main shopping street

If you're keeping up with our trip, this was actually Valentine's Day!  We left Arezzo and headed into Montepluciano, next.  If you happen to be a "Twihard", you'll recognize some of the sites we see as they play the backdrop in "New Moon"!