Emerald City

 I arrive before 9:00 a.m. in Seattle. I want to have four full days to explore and get familiar with the Emerald City. I have been wanting to do this for several years and now the time is right. 

 I put on my explorer hat and off to begin my journey. My first stop is the Pike Market. This is the original farmers market that dates back to 1907! It’s amazing that they have been operating at the same spot for so many years - 362 days each year!

 The city has an excellent public transportation infrastructure so I decide to put it to use at its full capacity. I take the train and I arrive near the infamous Pike Market. I walk and marvel at the hustling and bustling at every corner. Visiting farmers markets and small local grocery stores is a fun activity for me and makes me feel alive. This is heaven to me - a large playground! I marvel at fresh fish of all sizes and shapes, the local fresh fruit and vegetables and the many beautiful flowers. Flowers lift my spirits so I am quite happy! All of my five senses are working non-stop. I pass by the original Starbucks Coffee, take photos and continue strolling. I don’t stop ‘til I reach one of Tully’s coffee shops.

 I buy my coffee along with my favorite pastry – almond croissant - and eat it while sitting at a park overlooking Puget Sound near Pike Market surrounded by many homeless people; a reality of any big city. I realize that it’s how we process this reality that makes the difference on how we feel about it… and what we do it about it.

 Lunch is at Jack’s fish shop, one of the many eateries within the Pike Market. For the first time I have fried salmon, but I have to admit, I prefer the baked or broiled version of it. I still like what I am having. I can taste the freshness and the smell of the sea! While waiting for my order I can’t help but overhear a conversation going on behind me. I turn my head. I have to see who is so inquisitive. It’s a teenage boy talking with his father. I suspect that the boy has autism but he amazes me with all the details he showers his father with in every single sentence. I am intrigued and strike a conversation with the dad. I can tell that Max is a gifted boy. He has memory like no other – it’s as if I am reading computer search results on sports! Once again I confirm that we all come to this world with our uniqueness and our individual and very special gifts.

 Next, I am sitting on a bus leaving Seattle behind me and crossing Puget Sound. The city’s skyline is beautiful and the blue color of the water complete the picturesque journey. I see luscious green everywhere, such thick vegetation. For a moment, it all looks familiar to me … but then I have never been here before. I quickly realize that I am back in Connecticut 30 years ago. Living in a small town buried in thick vegetation and surrounded by tall, mature trees. The Emerald City gives me the sense that I am somewhere on the East Coast – the deep green color I have only seen on the East Coast is also in Seattle and its surrounding areas. We cross Mercer Island and then quickly enter the city of Bellevue. I see upscale neighborhoods and tall modern glass buildings. Everything I see is beautiful – but how would I feel though if I am living here and it rains ten months out of the year and it’s dark and gloomy? I quickly conclude that I would not last very long!

 I stay at Kim and Alan’s Airbnb, a clean, friendly and spacious place in a beautiful Bellevue neighborhood, walking distance from Lake Washington. I am pleasantly surprised to learn that fresh fish is ample in this part of the country and since I am a big fish enthusiast that’s what I have for dinner. I choose fresh orange crusted Ono – from the Hawaiian word “ono” which means “good to eat”, served with sweet vermouth sauce and roasted potatoes along with green beans. I love the firm texture of the fish and its mild sweet tasting flesh. I pair it well with some Argentinian Malbec even though I am a bit apprehensive since fish usually calls for white wine. I wine and dine by myself at the Big Fish Grill restaurant in Kirkland. I eat and enjoy the cool fresh air thinking how lucky I am to leave the Californian heat wave behind me.

 For a few days, I roam the streets of Seattle from Pike Market to Pioneer Square to Westlake Center on Pike Street to the Space Needle. All I see is a modern, fast growing city! The city brings back my adventurous self who got lost in the years but it’s reemerging again and it’s darn refreshing! I take photos, lots of photos, with my new camera and try to capture the moment with my amateur lens. I feel safe and secure in Seattle. I don’t feel I’m home but I feel relaxed and humble under these tall glass, modern buildings. I stroll the winding paths of the Olympic SculpturePark and admire the modern sculptures displayed there and all of the art creations along the bay.

 Standing next to the huge face of a woman overlooking the water is just breath taking. I take my time and enjoy and take more pictures of the city’s skyline with the Space Needle popping up everywhere in my photographs!

 My quest for breath taking views is not over so I head over to the Space Needle. I hop on the city’s modern monorail and arrive at the city’s landmark since 1962 – the Space Needle. The city is defined by this structure. 

 I take many photos as I marvel the steel structure before I go up 520 feet to the observation deck then take twice as many photos while at the top. I’m told that it’s a typical Seattle day - overcast and chances to rain. The weather doesn’t bother me, in fact, I find the clouds and all of their formations beautiful and I soak in the experience. I can’t believe that 52 years ago this innovative structure was built! It’s another confirmation that this city is all about innovative ideas! The EMP and Chihuly Garden & Glass museums at the base of the needle are confirmations to the creative and transformative nature of this city! 

  I get on a ferry and travel to one of the many beautiful islands by Seattle and I take photos and walk for hours. I visit the Bainbridge Island.

 

 I love the small shops intertwined within the small local restaurants situated by the water. Flowers everywhere! There are so many different colored flowers and so many smiles. The flowers make me smile! – I love Bainbridge – Musicians playing everywhere!

 Eating at Fork & Spoon after a summer shower. Listening to live Irish music sung by a middle aged couple brought me back to New York at Washington Square. My thoughts race back to 1982 living in the Village. As a young girl, I am wandering the streets enjoying the street musicians and performers and not caring about the humid weather or the unbearable heat. I am 19 years old and wondering what life has in store for me. I am thinking of that today while sitting at the small cafe in Bainbridge. 

 What does life has in store for me? I am always in awe and with gratitude, welcome everything that comes to my life. I feel calm and restless at the same time. I take the ferry back after spending a few hours on the island. I try to capture the breathtaking Seattle skyline views from the ferry. It’s like a postcard in different sizes and different angles yet all beautiful views. I stroll back to the bus station and make a stop at the quintessential Pioneer Square. I talk with a local cop and get some of the history of the Square. I capture the locals with my lens since many of them regulars to the Square. I want to absorb all of it in. I want to get intimate with this city and I want to come back.

Lake Garda in Italy - Lago di Garda

Here I am in Italy again, my third time visiting this alluring and charming country. There is still so much to see and learn about this country. This time, arriving from my home of Cyprus, I land in Milan at Bergamo airport. My beloved local tour guide is waiting for me at the airport in a charming new FIAT 500L car which has Sponge Bob pictures all over it! 

I thought I was over Sponge Bob years ago when my daughter finally ended her love affair with this cute children’s comic character. Apparently I was not over Bob! He would accompany me for a few days, taking me around Lago di Garda, its beautiful towns, and later to the cities of Verona and Padova .

Lake Garda, Italy’s biggest lake, is not well known outside Italy as Como Lake. Located in Northern Italy, it is about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Its beautiful surroundings have captured my attention and I am intrigued to explore this area as much as time allows me.  The classic and modern blend very well together all over Italy and especially here and all the towns across the lake’s shoreline. Northern Italians as well as many other Europeans keep this area as their pristine summer holiday destination.

After leaving the airport our first stop is the gorgeous town of Sirmione. We are staying at this charming bed and breakfast place, Raggio Di Sole, run by Wilma, a lovely woman who rents rooms out of her home through the AirBnB program. If you are looking for a friendly, comfortable, clean and easy to get to place while visiting this area, that’s where you should stay. The rooms are all located on the ground floor and the hostess lives with her family on the upper floor. The property has a beautiful and very large back yard with a swimming pool and a lovely vegetable garden. It seems only I would notice and find the vegetables beautiful! She offers breakfast outside on a covered patio area but she also has a small indoor eating area.  Our breakfast consists of various yummy Italian pastries accompanied by the aromatic Italian Espresso or any other coffee or tea your heart desires. 

I’m certain that if I lived in Italy, I would be about 50 pounds heavier. I can’t resist these pastries and cakes offered in the morning – all fattening but yet Italians manage to stay thin!

Dinner on the first night is at Al Cavallo, close to our B&B and easy to find since it has a big horse statue outside. I just love being in Europe where I am able to have a late dinner. I know that it’s not very healthy to eat late in the evening but 8:00 p.m. is not late in my book if you go to bed at 11:00 or later. We enter the charming restaurant fully packed with people. Most of the patrons are sitting outside as the weather is still nice and warm in early October. Everyone is eating and drinking wine or beer and talking with friends and family around their tables. The atmosphere is busy yet offers a friendly and welcoming feeling. It is a sentiment I have no matter where I am in Italy. My tour guide tells me that this is the place to have fresh fish. I don’t wait a moment to order -  fish - exactly how we serve it in my home country of Cyprus – cleared from the bones, opened in half and served on a platter drizzled with a little bit of olive oil, lemon and a bit of chopped parsley on top. I love it and I savor every tasty bite. The fish is fresh and smells of the sea. I don’t need to chew a lot as it melts in my mouth. Of course, freshly baked bread accompanies my meal as well. My smiley Italian companion gets a nice pizza with gorgonzola and speck. I accompany my tasty fish with white wine, prosecco scaraffato. My partner, in this great culinary experience, gets a pint of blonde refreshing beer. I could not fit in any dessert so I skip it this time.

After a restful night, we are up and fully energized in the morning for a tour of the towns around the lake. We have our sweet breakfast with lots of pastries including croissants, apple strudel and yummy cookies. We are ready to conquer the area.

We rent bicycles from our hostess and off we go to the charming town of Sirmione. It takes just 15 minutes to cycle to the old town inside the picturesque 13th century Scaliger Castle walls. We cycle along the lake and the utter beauty is filled with lots of flower beds on the roadside and many small hotels on the lake shore. It’s an easy and pleasant ride. The ancient fortified town of Sirmione, located on the south of the lake, is one particularly popular destination, home to the Virgilio & Catullo Spa Complexes, as well as numerous restaurants, bars, hotels, fashion stores and a market. The minute I step into the castle, I’m in another century and time. I feel lighter, happier and ready to take the world. The beautiful flowers on all the balconies, the quaint patios of the restaurants, the old churches, the cobble stoned streets and the mouthwatering dishes served at every restaurant that we pass by tell me to be happy. I, indeed, take this advice. Everything is beautiful inside the old walls of Sirmione located on the southern part of the lake. 

The lake water is clean, calm and welcoming for a lunch break by the shore, so we do. I order potato dumplings. Italians call them gnocchi but I must admit the ones my Italian partner prepares for me at home are far better than the ones at the restaurant.

Right after lunch the beautiful day turns rainy and windy. As we cycle back to our B&B, we get soaked. I am energetic and happy so I don’t mind getting wet and pushed around by the wind. In the evening we decide to have a quick dinner, something on the lighter side since we had a full late lunch. For the first time I try piadina at a small pub. Our piadina are custom stuffed with ham, mushrooms, grilled zucchini and mozzarella!

The second day in Sirmione we find ourselves wondering about more towns around Garda Lake. Desenzano is one of the beautiful towns we visit. We walk on the pier taking lots of pictures trying to capture the beauty we have around us. We stop by a local bar for an aperitiv. At this point, I call it the Italian national drink accompanied by many appetizers! I can’t believe what I see in front of me! They serve us all these tasty appetizers at no extra cost – small pizzas, olives, cheese, small sandwiches and we just pay for our drink at a very low price! Wow, why don’t we have this in the U.S.?!

Peschiera is our last stop before we head back to Padova! 






On the way, we stop by a flea market and buy fresh cooked fish served on a little brown paper bag and have it as a snack. Yummy! 

The market is filled with colors just like everywhere else - colors of the beautiful clothes hanging everywhere, the fresh fruit and vegetables sold at the same place – colors, lots of happy colors! Lots of stylish shoes and clothes are sold at the market at very reasonable price along with trailers selling fresh raw and cooked fish and fresh vegetables. My camera cannot stop snapping photos.

I am happy. We head back to Padova but before we leave the area I can’t resist but to stop at a local mall. I go crazy with the stylish clothes I find there and splurge! Everything I buy is at a lower price than where I live!

Will I go back to Garda Lake and the surrounding towns? Indeed I will. I simply must!  There are a lot more towns and quaint villages to visit.

Eat Seasonal - Quick Meal

 

Many times I am surprised as to how tasteless certain fruit and vegetables are; not having any taste even when I buy them fresh from the supermarket or small grocery stores. It's a bit disappointing! Well, the answer to my disappointment is that if I start eating seasonal like I used to I could/would enjoy a better taste in my food. Here I am starting to do that.

I have to admit that when there is an abundance of a certain fruit and vegetables around, nobody will be busy growing that in any greenhouse or feeding it hormones to grow fast - the result!? ... get to enjoy the real taste of fresh food.

I will pick on zucchini today which we have in abundance starting in May and going well into the fall. They are easy to pair with a lot of foods or cooked on their own and they are very nutritious – having tons of vitamin A and C and some essential minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and Potassium!

Last night in just a few minutes I sliced a couple of zucchinis and braised them in olive oil (only a couple of teaspoons). In the end I topped them with some crumbled feta on top and fresh mint. It was my side dish that accompanied my meat pies. I cheated a little bit by using ready dough. I prepared my meat filling and then I stuffed my pastry pockets. I even played around with the shapes of my pastries creating triangles, square ….shapes.

Meat Filling

1 pound ground beef

¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion

½ cup puree tomatoes

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon dry mint

Salt

Pepper

¼ cup finely chopped parsley added only a minute before removing from the heat

Enjoy!

Καλη ορεξη!