Paul & Lauren’s Travels

Ukraine, Paul and Lauren Swanson have left the building! First stop: London! Getting our hundreds of kilos of baggage to London in the right order was a serious effort, and not without it’s share of drama. But even the check-in staff a Kiev, Borispil airport were enough to stop our determination to get to London. On Saturday we caught up with Linus, watched the comedic play 39 Steps and had dinner at a Scottish restaurant. Sunday was a free for all as we wandered around London doing whatever pleased before the big, and tiring, push to get to and out of Heathrow Airport.

Just when we thought that winter, the city and all that greyness was too much, spring break in the mountains of Bologna was able to turn everything around. We camped at a farm, in the mountains near Sasso Marconi, where we could camp for free in return for eating at their restaurant or purchasing their produce. Some days we rested, others we drove through Emilia Romagna enjoying the sights of beautiful, old city centres and visiting specialty food producers of the region.

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Like all great, traditional food products from Emilia Romagna, Parma ham is a simple product that has been prepared masterfully and slowly. We took a lead from our friend Alfonso and went for a drive into the hills of Parma in search of the secrets behind the most famous of Parma hams, Prosciutto. As it turned out, we were given a personal tour of the multi-million factory by the owner and founder himself.

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During Lauren’s first visit to Italy I received a call from her, she was all excited about her visit to a Balsamic vinegar producer and I just couldn’t understand why … until she came home with the goods! It turns out that the Balsamic vinegar I’d grown accustomed was a poor cousin to a much larger, and more exquisite, family tree. Thick, rich, sweet and complex, the real Balsamico is aged up to 25 years and is practically worth it’s weight in gold.

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We’re all familiar with the bile-like aroma that eminated from a white powder some adult convinced us tasted much better than it smelt, as we dusted it over our spag-bol as a child; I’m talking about Parmesan cheese. Parmesan cheese, as we know it, is to Parmigiano Reggiano as instant coffee is to freshly brewed espresso; mass production to craftsmanship. Allow me to introduce Parmigiano Reggiano. 

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The tiled lions were fascinating to view.  But my favourite piece of in the museum was just around the corner.

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Each morning at our Hotel Ada, we enjoyed a buffet breakfast and spectacular views of Istanbul, the ocean and the ruins of an Old mosque (as well as the more recent one).   Here are a few of breakfast view photos for your enjoyment.

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On our way to the Istanbul’s Museum of Archaeology, we happened across this beautiful park, and we were impressed by the trees.   Then we made our way to the Archaeology Museums.   There are three museums, The Museum of Archaeology, Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Museum of Islamic Art.

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The bustling streets of Istanbul are full of interesting characters, things for sale, food and tea…

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We walked along the bridge to the other side of the Istanbul peninsular.  The bridge was lined with fishermen catching small fish…

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