Thanksgiving meal!
America by birth, Southern by the grace of God. That’s how it goes, right?
Thanksgiving 2015
Monthly Archives: November 2015
Truffle-mania!
White winter truffle
Koen and I always like to take a souvenir back with us when we travel. Our Florentine souvenir is a white winter truffle!
Mom’s Birthday Part Two: Orso Pizzeria
Orso Pizzeria
Because my mom was celebrating her birthday in Antwerp, of course we wanted to go out for dinner. I feel like over the years my parents have really gotten to know Antwerp the city, but not really Antwerp the province, which comprises of many smaller cities. For the birthday dinner we decided on Orso Pizzeria in Berchem. Berchem is most famous for its art nouveau style architecture. On our way to dinner we were able to look at all of the beautiful houses!
Mom’s Birthday Part One: Café Impérial
Smoked salmon and caviar
One tradition that started a few years back, is that when my mom is in town we go out for a class of champagne at Café Impérial. It doesn’t matter what time of year, we always go to celebrate. Café Impérial is a beautiful café located in the Paleis op de Meir, the former Antwerp residence of Napoleon Bonaparte. So fabulously French! And this time we were lucky enough to celebrate on my mom’s actual birthday!
Florence: Italian Cooking Class, Ferragamo Museo and Gelato!
Cooking School Graduates!
We wanted to plan something special for our last day in Florence – an Italian cooking class! We learned how to make two types of pasta (tagliatelle and ravioli), ragu, and tiramisu. The lesson started first at the San Lorenzo Market, where we received a lesson about the origins of Italian cooking a regional dishes. Waste not, want not! That’s the only way to explain the abundance of cow stomach sandwiches in Florence. The class was so much fun and of course we were able to enjoy the dishes we prepared with a red Chianti!
Florence: Museo Galileo, Trattoria da Tito, and Basilica di Santa Croce
Aristotelian planetarium, Italian ca. 1600
Day Six was a full day of sightseeing! With only two days left, we really needed to narrow down what we still wanted to do and make choices.
Florence: Piazza del Duomo, Trattoria Sostanza, Boboli Gardens, St. Minias on the Mountain and Piazzale Michelangelo
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower
Day Five Koen and I did a lot of walking and climbing. So sore the following days!
Florence: San Lorenzo Market, Chianti, and Piazza Santo Spirito
Eggs Florentine on focaccia for breakfast!
Day Four was our first day spent together with everyone. One of the big things everyone wanted to do while in Tuscany was to see the countryside, visit vineyards, and sample Chianti wines. After a bit of searching we decided on the Chianti Afternoon Wine Tour.
Florence: Galleria dell’Accademia, All’Antico Vinaio, and Piazza della Repubblica
Mom and me with Michelangelo’s David
Day Three was a Sunday – the first Sunday of November, sooo all the museums were free! After a bit of discussing, Koen, Tamar, my mom and I decided on Galleria dell’Accademia, most famous for housing Michelangelo’s David. We left early in the morning and luckily the line wasn’t too bad!
An American in Antwerp 