Archive for February, 2009

Breakfast in Milan: Zucca and Gallerie Vittorio Emanuele

{ February 10, 2009 @ 12:24 pm } · { Europe, Italy, Lombardy, Milan }
{ Tags: , , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

imgp1592

Probably the most famous spot to have breakfast in Milan is Zucca, a cafe just inside Gallerie Vittorio Emanuele. This cafe has a wonderful view of the Duomo and the plaza, and one can watch thousands of tourists and Milan natives pass by as you enjoy an overpriced cappuccino and pastry. I sat for an hour, eating an amazing chocolate croissant, writing postcards and waking up to the idea that I was in Milan.

 

imgp1594

The view out to the piazza is crowded with people, but nonetheless inspiring.

imgp1595

Stepping inside the Gallerie Vittorio Emanuele, the glass ceiling takes all your attention. Despite it’s beautiful architecture, the Gallerie was really built as a shopping mall. And a mall it is, with stores so expensive I hardly dare to window shop.

imgp1593

Further through the Gallerie you find a famous tile mosaic on the floor, the Taurus zodiac symbol. It is said that if you step on the bulls most delicate parts you will have good luck! All day long you can find tourists and locals stopping by to give the poor bull a stomp. Some of them do a dance, others twirl around a few times, and some just pause for a second, stomp down hard, and walk off as if nothing had happened! No matter what method you choose, you’ll be sure to have onlookers.imgp1650

My favorite runs, Taos Ski Valley

{ February 6, 2009 @ 11:29 am } · { New Mexico, North America, Southern US }
{ Tags: , , , , } · { Comments (2) }

Starting at the bottom of the moutain at TSV there are four lifts, although one is rarely operational. Rueggli is the childrens lift, and takes you up a small short hill that is normally filled with small children going to ski school. Lift 3 is the traditional ‘bunny slope’ lift, and takes you up a steeper but still small hill for a run called ‘Strawberry Hill’. Lifts 1 and 5 are your first real stops to Kachina Peak, and after you’ve warmed up they are certainly where you should go.
As an eternal intermediate skier, I stayed on greens and blues during my weeklong trip to Taos. Greens are understandably crowded, but if you can manage a few blue runs you will be very happy with the empty slopes and they are only slightly more challenging.
Most beginners, once they are ready to get off of bunny hills, start with Whitefeather. This relatively long run (about 30min) takes you from the top of Lift 1 back to the bottom of the mountain. On the way you can go up lifts 2, 6 or 8 for more lengthy skiing and longer runs.

Top of Lift 1

 
My favorite trip was to take Lift 2 or 6 to Kachina Peak- a beautiful vista and colder temperatures await you there. Take Honeysuckle down and admire the amazing view and huge bowls, and turn off at Lower Totemoff or Lonestar, or stay on Honeysuckle until you reach Winkelreid. Take Winkelreid down to Lift 4, then ride that up to go down Easy Trip, Japanese Flag and Lower Patton. Exiting Lift 4 can be a little confusing- you should ski all the way across the hill (get some momentum, you’ll need it!) to your left as you exit the lift. There you will find Easy Trip and some crazy skiers hiking to Hunziker Bowl.  Ski down Easy Trip, then all the way across the hill again under the lift to get to Japanese Flag. Lower Patton takes you to a lodge and a restaurant- a great place to stop for lunch if you don’t want to go all the way down to the base.

Kachina

Kachina

To get back to the base, take Rubezahl Run, a very long, almost completely flat trail through beautiful forest. This is a very peaceful run, almost always empty, and I enjoyed it immensely. Don’t go to slow though- take advantage of the momentum when you get it because you don’t want to end up walking! Rubezahl will spit you right back out at Lift 1 so you can do it all over again!

Of course Taos is a haven for expert skiers as well, as there are plenty of black and black double diamond runs all throughout the mountain, often right next to a green or blue counterpart. As you ride Lift 1 you will be treated to the good, bad and ugly of skiers going down a hill of challenging moguls on Al’s Run. It makes for an entertaining trip up!

Hiking the Cinque Terre: Part 5 – Vernazza to Monterosso

{ February 5, 2009 @ 5:35 pm } · { Cinque Terre, Europe, Italy, Liguria }
{ Tags: , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Amazingly enough, eventually you will want to leave Vernazza and travel to Monterosso. One of the longest legs of this journey, this trip is graced by more gorgeous views, hikes through deeply forested areas, and this pretty, ice cold stream that offered me welcome refreshment about halfway through the hike.

Stream on Path to Monterosso

Stream on Path to Monterosso

Finally arriving, after thousands of stairs and about 5 hours of hiking, you will see beaches an your 5th lovely town.

First view of Monterosso

First view of Monterosso

Don’t be fooled, as I was, the town actually stretches all the way around the hill that you see onto the other side of the bay. The train station is on this other side, down a long boardwalk that is often filled with people shopping, going to the beach and having drinks or gelato. Spend some time wandering around Monterosso, especially in the spring or summer, because it is a really beautiful place with a lot of interesting architecture, shopping and an almost tropical mediterranean environment.

imgp1574b

When it was finally time to leave, I waited for close to 2 hours for a very late train. Luckily I was surrounded by friendly tourists and enjoyed these gorgeous flowers. I hope you do too!

imgp1577

Ski Taos: Getting There

{ February 3, 2009 @ 12:23 pm } · { New Mexico, North America, Southern US }
{ Tags: , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

From San Antonio we drove to Taos. Yes, drove. Yes it was a long drive, and yes it was boring. I recommend passing through West Texas at night. For some reason it isn’t as boring at night, perhaps because there’s the constant fear that an animal will come out of the pitch black surrounding you and you will be forced to slam on your brakes. Vigilance is crucial, especially since hitting a deer at 70 or 80mpg could devastate your car- and the poor deer. There aren’t street lights out there, and the sky is so dark it seems like the stars have multiplied a million times.
The most eventful portion of the drive was the stop in Albuquerque for lunch. 66 diner, just a quick trip off of the freeway on Central Ave, was a nice stop. Breakfast was still being served so we had huevos rancheros, pancakes, an emormous omelette and oatmeal between the four of us. I regret that I wasn’t able to try a milkshake: flavors like ‘The Dreamsicle’ and ‘The Elvis Presley’ still make my mouth water. They also have a full line of desserts including sundaes in all shapes and sizes, multiple varieties of pie and double chocolate cake.66 Diner Albuquerque

There isn’t much that can rival perfect ski conditions. With luck, you too can experience them, even in New Mexico. We arrived one day after a fresh snow- with slopes perfectly groomed and the sun out again.
The trip up to Taos Ski Valley from Taos or Arroyo Seco takes 15-30 minutes, but it is not a steep climb. Most of the trip you are driving between two mountains, with a small brook on your right, so only the most fearful acrophobe will have trouble.

imgp2084
Arrival at the resort anywhere near opening time will mean a bit of a wait to park in the icy, inconvenient parking lot. Don’t worry though- whether you are Gila Monster 11 or Deer 14, the shuttle will come get you, normally right at your vehicle.

taos01
Riding the shuttle is a bit of an adventure by itself. The big trailer full of people, skis, snowboards and boots slides around the parking lot, bouncing, stopping and starting. But it sure beats walking! The shuttle drops you off in two locations- outside the Childrens Center or right at the lift ticket office. If it’s your first day at Taos Ski Valley, definitely ride to the ticket office to register for lessons, get lift tickets for the week, and just generally check everything out. Nearby are most of the restaurants, cafes, ski rental shop and travel office as well as condos.
There are not many ski in/ski out options in Taos, but the travel is worth it for great snow. There are tons of rental options in Taos village, including many homes with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, internet, hot tubs- our rental house even had heated floors! So enjoy your stay, even inside away from the snow.