Melby's Travels

We visited the Trentino-Alto Aldige region which used to be part of the Austrian empire. Thus, it is where Italian and German cultures convolve. DAY 1 - DOLOMITI MOUNTAINS After 3 trains and a bus, we made it to Ortesei, which is a quaint ski town at the base of the Seceda Mountain...and this town is already 4000ft about sea level. Here we fueled up with some food. Pane de segale puterese - relatively flat bread (but it is leavened). rye bread with caraway and fennel seeds. not too light, not too dark rye. Tomini - while I had this in Milan, the rind of the one here is a little more aromatic (or pungent to some) Apple cake from Langgartner Konditorei Pasticceria - very light crumb with beautiful crust. The crust was slightly harder and toothier, as if it had cornmeal. That may not be the case but the powdered sugar on top certainly contributed to the texture. Then we took the cable car up another 4000ft. (BTW the peaks are even higher.) Then we hiked around the top for a bit. We had an...

DAY 1 FLIGHT TO PARIS It was my first time boarding the plane through the tarmac (instead of a walkway). From my bird's eye view, I noticed that the layout of the land near Milan consists of cluster of houses surrounded by small fields for farming. We also passed through the Alps, bordering Italy and Switzerland. FIRST IMPRESSIONS It felt like the New York of Europe, with the organized bustle. In addition to the many expected bread and cheese shops, there were many bookstores. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see a large proportion of African and Middle Eastern food, especially Lebanese! The kebabs looked pretty good. LUNCH Quiche - looks like people here enjoy caramelization, but the eggs were not overcooked at all. I enjoyed the pungent Roquefort cheese in it too. Brioche au sucre - there's literally a chunk of sugar in the middle of the bun. Could have been fermented for longer, but sugar helps to compensate for some of the lost flavor and texture. MUSEE D'ORSAY They...

 Porta Genova - a neighborhood that was formerly edgier and is now the center for art and designer offices A little canal. Not as nice as Venice obv but still quaint ARMANI/SILOS - showcases pieces from the 80s till today. also a temporary photo exhibit Some of the less out-there works that I might see myself wearing There were definitely many photos (from around the world) that spoke to me. The photos of New York from the 1950s were rather shocking to me. For instance, several buildings in the NY skyline were missing.

DAY 1 - POMPEI For this weekend, we stayed in Pompei, the city that has the ancient ruins of Pompeii. It felt like the American Southwest, although we were in the Italian Southwest - the cacti, colorful houses, and lack of sidewalks... It was surreal to walk through such monumental structures in Pompeii. One thing I didn't expect were how high the sidewalk was compared to the roads! Scaled some sketchy stairs... We didn't expect the buildings to be so tall and grand, considering that people of that time are rather short by today's standards. Seeing the only slightly fainted colors of storefronts, juxtaposed with the plaster forms of people trapped in volcanic ash, really brought to life what it was like to have experienced the volcanic eruption. Approaching the colosseum Being in a different country doesn't stop hackers from hacking   Look closely, us duking it out in the Colosseum LA BETTOLA DEL GUSTO - part of the "slow food" movement Bonus appetizer - dough...