A Train Ride through the Italian Alps, Part 2

A Train Ride through the Italian Alps, Part 2

Mornin’ luvs! Back in October I gave you Part 1 of A Train Ride through the Italian Alps, fully intending to share Part 2 with utmost haste. Alas, “best laid plans” and all that, and here we are in March. 🙂

Last time we were wandering with my friends Margo, Katy, Kathy and Kate through a hand-painted archway into a courtyard in the village of Santa Maria Maggiore in Northern Italy.

We shall continue our ramble now, strolling past one glorious sun-drenched villa after another.

Italian villa garden

Mountain villa

Although all of these exquisite old homes had lashings of charm, my heart was captured by this one with its vivid orange walls and vine-covered arbor. Wouldn’t you love to create a cozy seat under there for long afternoons of reading and napping?

Santa Maria Maggiore villa

I was also charmed by the intricate murals on various walls along our route. At first glance some of them looked real. Can you spot the one that isn’t a painting?

Italian murals

The pealing of bells from the church tower reminded us that we’d better scoot back to the train station if we didn’t want to miss our train. We hustled back and arrived in plenty of time to amble along the tracks and inspect some grazing cattle making a racket with the huge bells tied around their necks.

Santa Maria Maggiore train station

Soon it was time to board. We found our seats and quickly opened the windows to let cooling mountain breezes fill the rather stuffy railway car. I fully intended to actually sit in my seat, but the views were too spectacular and I spent most of the trip leaning out the window taking pictures and sighing in delight.

northern Italian countryside

This little chap found us as fascinating as we found him, not budging from the fence until we disappeared around the bend. 🙂

little boy watching train

Higher and higher the train went. We left the lush green valleys behind and entered the Italian Alps, mesmerized by the crystal clear mountain streams and craggy cliffs rising up from the trees.

Italian mountain stream

Every curve of the track brought some new delight: a hidden turquoise lake, beautiful mountain chalets with window boxes overflowing with vivid blooms, line upon tidy line of vineyards and orchards. The midday sun was so warm and with the gentle rocking of the train I was glad I had my head out the window or I would surely have nodded off.

train travel in Italy

Although it was already October, Italy was having a gorgeous Indian summer and everything looked warm and golden as we chugged over the border into Switzerland.

lake in the Italian Alps

I can’t wait to show you what we saw in Switzerland. 🙂

What sort of travel do you like most? Are you as besotted by trains as I am?

A Bustling Market in Salisbury, England

A Bustling Market in Salisbury, England

After a gorgeous stroll through Salisbury, my friend Katy and I were thrilled when we came upon the Salisbury farmer’s market held in the town square.

Salisbury market

It was positively bustling with people filling baskets and bags with fresh flowers, ripe cheeses, and all sorts of fruit and veg.

Salisbury flower market

I was in absolute heaven when we entered the cheese part of the market. I nearly swooned at the incredible prices and wished I had a huge suitcase just to fill with wheels of French brie, tangy cheddar, and creamy soft goat cheese. We somehow managed to limit ourselves to just three, and happily tucked into them when we got home.

Salisbury cheese market

I am a true blue market lover. I’d happily shop only in farmer’s markets for the rest of my days if I could.

I love the big crusty loaves of fresh bed piled in marvy wicker baskets, bins filled with crisp apples and juicy pears, and am a sucker for meat wrapped in paper from the butcher.

Salisbury market stall

I like the funky handcrafted items you find, like these fabulous felt slippers with pompoms.

Moroccan slippers

But most of all I like the wonderful mix of people: pensioners in their comfortable walking shoes, business women decked out to the nines, and kidlets running about underfoot trying to wheedle candy and ice cream out of their long suffering parents.

Salisbury vegetable market

Markets have such a cozy community feel. There’s something so nice about meeting up with dear friends for a cuppa or chit-chatting with perfect strangers about the quality of mangoes or the price of asparagus.

Salisbury town square

After we made the rounds of all the stalls, Katy and I climbed creaky wooden stairs up into the loft of a truly ancient pub for a bit of lunch.

How nice it was to remove our winter wrappings in the cozy warmth of the pub, visiting happily as we ate our way through toasted chicken and cheese sandwiches and baked potatoes topped with fire-roasted tomatoes and brie.

pub lunch

What is your favorite part of an open-air market?

An Autumn Wander through Salisbury, England

An Autumn Wander through Salisbury, England

Exploring tidy towns and verdant countryside in England this Autumn was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Doing so with my dear friend Katy made it even better, especially when we got to her hometown of Salisbury.

Salisbury Old Ale House

Katy is a wiz at languages and history and she introduced me to legends, characters and stories that made Salisbury come alive. I loved it!

Salisbury river walk

Salisbury is a perfect town for walking, with so many beautiful pathways wending along placid streams, through little woods, and charming shops.

 

Salisbury book shop

I’d heard of the beauty of English roses, but they are even more stunning in real life.

Salisbury roses

I love the many outdoor seating areas – benches by the creek, picnic tables on the green – and I’d like to return one day to sit awhile with a good book or simply watch the world go by.

Salisbury bridges

Our path led us to a rather wonderful old churchyard, ancient lichen-covered graves nestled among rose bushes and broad stretches of green grass. Even though it was in the heart of town, it still felt serene and peaceful.

Salisbury churchyard

We left the quiet of the churchyard and followed the path to the main square where a splendid market was in full swing. I’ll share pictures from there next time. 🙂

What is your favorite town to walk through?

Dark Chocolate Gelato and the Shop Doors of Bologna, Italy

Dark Chocolate Gelato and the Shop Doors of Bologna, Italy

As much as I love the gorgeous old buildings and courtyards of Bologna, I also find great delight in the little unimportant details that make this city so interesting.

Like the community bulletin board plastered with all sorts of notices for concerts and films and classes.

Bologna bulletin board

Some of my favorite such sights are the painted murals on the garage-type doors that protect the shops of Bologna after hours and during afternoon siesta.

hair salon in Bologna

They are supposed to represent what is sold inside. Some of them are easy to decipher, but others??

Bologna shop door

Methinks this might be a Bolognese watering hole.

Bologna pub

Perhaps a bakery? Shelves lined with warm loaves of fresh white bread?

Bologna bakery

And this one? Umm, no idea whatsoever. 🙂

Bologna food shop

After wandering under the cool porticoes of Bologna in late afternoon, my friend Maddalena and I headed out into the hot September sunshine. It didn’t take long before we were both craving gelato. Maddalena took me to one of her favorite spots and I got a scoop of the very darkest of dark chocolate. Delish.

gelato in Bologna

What’s your favorite thing to eat on a hot sunny day?

A Foggy Morn in Queensland and Triple Garlic Bread

A Foggy Morn in Queensland and Triple Garlic Bread

It is just starting to feel a bit like Autumn in my part of Australia with chilly nights and mornings and gorgeously warm and sunny days.

I absolutely love waking up early to foggy scenes like this.

horses in the mist

No matter how tired I am I can’t tear myself away from my bedroom window and sit there happily with my morning cup of tea.

 

trees in the mist

The fog never lasts long, so I treasure every mysterious and magical moment of it.

 

trail through the mist

When sunshine scatters the last misty remnants, I head to my kitchen to make my new favorite bread: Triple Garlic.

Using the bread machine to do the hard work of mixing and kneading, I simply dump in the ingredients and return a while later to do final kneading and shaping. There’s something so homey and comforting about seeing the bread rising in a sunny spot on my counter, and even before baking, the garlicky smells fill my kitchen. I slide the risen dough into a hot oven and 45 minutes later a golden loaf is cooling on the kitchen table, almost ready to be cut into thick slices and slathered with butter.

 

bread rising

What’s your favorite breakfast on a foggy morning?

Triple Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup cold water
2 cups whole grain flour
1 cup white flour
1 Tbsp raw sugar
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp milk powder
1 Tbsp powdered garlic
1 Tbsp dehydrated garlic
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 envelope yeast (2 tsp)

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in bowl of bread machine. Place on Dough setting and leave until buzzer sounds.
  2. Remove dough from bread machine and place on flour-dusted counter or table.
  3. Knead 5-10 times, shape into oblong and place in greased or baking paper-lined bread pan.
  4. Cover with clean, dry dish towel and let rise for 30-40 minutes until top is well rounded.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-45 minutes until top is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it.
  6. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Brush top with olive oil and leave to cool to desired temperature. I like it best served warm or toasted and slathered with butter. Also makes delicious grilled cheese sandwiches.