st. peter's basilica

The Vatican was a bit of a controversial destination for me. I'd initially planned to skip it, but when it Rome... it seems silly to skip the Vatican!

I was raised Catholic and don't have particularly fond memories of the experience. My grandmother forced me to make my Confirmation to ensure I'd be allowed allowed to marry in the Catholic Church. I was always pretty sure I didn't want kids (strike 1!), wasn't sure I wanted to marry (strike 2!), but if I did, I wanted an outdoor wedding, and I definitely wasn't interested in marrying anyone who would insist on a Catholic ceremony (strike 3!).

The fact that I went through with it even though I knew it wasn't in line with my beliefs still causes me trauma from time to time. If the Church had any integrity, they'd have thought twice about confirming me after I'd gone head to head on birth control with the Bishop at my Confirmation retreat. But I suspect they prayed for the best and hoped I'd grow out of it.

Guilt and I have a longstanding relationship. Guilt has controlled me, pushed me into stupid decisions, and at times crippled me, but now I'm learning after many hours of rational thought and soul searching that life does not need to be a guilt trip. Despite what I've been led to believe by my rosary clutching grandma and the Catholic Church, I am not a bad person and there are much cooler places to visit than Guilt City.

I am breaking up with guilt.

As I was growing up, the Pope and The Vatican figured heavily into my life. Most nights, I ate dinner while looking at one of those awful Pope John Paul II collector plates and listening to my grandmother lecturing me on how to "act like a lady" or the laundry list of my supposed sins which would range from not studying hard enough, to wearing a mascara, to being overweight, to wearing my skirts too short, to much worse things like wanting to date when I was 16.

So, I didn't know how it would be to cross enemy lines. Turns out it was neither traumatic nor religious, just another sight to be seen and photographed.

It was quite breathtaking to stand in the Piazza San Pietro and see Michelangelo's dome in person, but I did not have any sort of epiphany, and so the war on guilt continues ;)

I didn't visit the Vatican Museums. The queues ensure it's an all day event and it's quite spendy to hire a tour guide in order to skip the queue. Structured sightseeing isn't really my style anyway. Instead of ratting off a list of museums I've visited, and artwork I've seen, I'd much rather take photos and tell you how a place feels.

I now have a solid grasp on the vibe of Berlin, Copenhagen, Rome, and Siena, with so many more to come!

an expat thanksgiving

Thank you for all of your lovely comments on my Thanksgiving post! I'm feeling much better and I had the best ever Thanksgiving today!

It was wonderful to taste familiar foods so far from home. Our hostess, Tara always delights and today was no exception... she made the best mashed potatoes I've ever tasted, and pecan, pumpkin, and apple pies all from scratch, including the crust!!! Respect.

She even managed to track down a turkey! It was obscenely expensive by American standards and according to her husband it still had some feathers on its legs. It looked so moist and delicious that it was a little bit tempting, but I behaved.

I brought along my controversial green bean casserole and it was a hit. Yep, even Europeans appreciate a nice, trashy GBC ;) I threw in a batch of cornbread for good measure and there wasn't a crumb left. So fun to share American foods and traditions with friends on this side of the pond! Tara and I asked for requests from the group and next we'll be introducing them to egg nog :)

We watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, and a History Channel Thanksgiving documentary. We nicknamed our lone Danish friend "Squanto" for helping us navigate life here in Denmark, and it really did feel like a Thanksgiving TV special. Hallmark Channel, are you listening??

Due to a glitch in planning, I wasn't able to get my cream of mushroom soup in time for today's festivities. Life is so different when you don't have a car and the only way to get hold of something like the aforementioned soup is to walk a few kilometers in the snow to pick it up. So I had to improvise a bit.

It was actually pretty simple and probably much healthier than the canned stuff anyway, so in case you're ever in a pinch, here's the recipe for cream of mushroom soup substitute:

1 T butter
3 T flour
1 t veggie bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk

Melt the butter over medium heat, gradually stir in the flour to make a roux. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the boullion and milk, return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and thick, like the consistency of condensed, canned cream of mushroom soup.

You may have noticed that the mushrooms are sorely lacking here. This is because I thought I still had a can of mushrooms in my US stash, but I didn't. Most stores are closed on Sundays in Denmark, so I had to skip the mushrooms. It was still fine, though given a choice, I'd have sauteed some chopped mushrooms and stirred them in at the end.

I had a bit of a goose chase yesterday trying to find the right green beans. As with most things, Denmark's canned vegetable selection is not exactly up to par. One store had canned haricots verts, but that just didn't seem right.

The frozen vegetable selection is not much better than the canned selection. One day, I actually picked the broccoli out of a broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix in order to make a quiche. Today, I ended up using frozen haricots verts that I defrosted and cut to mimic cut green beans.

I usually use canned french cut green beans for this dish. I keep meaning to ask my French friend if french cut green beans are actually french cut. Also french manicures... are those really French or is that just something they tell American women so we'll pay an extra $5 to upgrade our manicure?

I've already established that books like "French Women Don't Get Fat" and "Entre Nous: A Women's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl" are pretty much written for women who want to feel chic despite the fact that they will never go to France or meet a French woman. So this other "French" stuff is also a bit suspect.

Next post is back to Italy, I promise! Too many cool things and beautiful photos not to share :)

cat show

Normally, I wouldn't go to a cat show, but my friend just bought a show quality kitten from Russia and I went with him to inspect the show circuit. Really, I just went along as moral support, but the promise of kittens and hot chocolate definitely helped.

I'm sort of at odds about this whole thing. Cats are being euthanized by the millions due to a shortage of homes, so I'd never entertain the thought of buying one, no matter how special it is. I really don't care if Opie is too short, too fat, has substandard markings, a badly shaped head, a tail of unacceptable length, weird paws, ugly ears, or is a mix of 10 different dumpster breeds. A cat is a cat and no amount of papers or ribbons is going to change my mind.

Throughout cat show, I just kept thinking "pageant moms!" I've never seen so much primping and fluffing in my life. I actually saw someone putting baby powder on a white cat to make it appear whiter. That is the level of crazy we're dealing with here!

I got a lot of sideways looks for taking photos, so I had to be sneaky and they're not up to my usual standards, but you've got to see this...

Every cat had some sort of Princess dressing on its cage. There was a vendor selling these things for about $120 US. I wonder how big of a niche this is because they're a pretty easy sew!

I don't mean to talk smack about poor, helpless cats, but are they cuter than Opie? Didn't think so. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

I noticed that everyone standing near the judging tables was holding their cats in this same awkward position. This is to show off the cat's length, the longer the better! Who knew?

It's a good thing Opie isn't show quality because he'd most definitely bite me and run away if I tried to hold him like this in a gymnasium full of people.

For the most part, the cats were pretty compliant with the judging process. It must have something to do with good breeding :)

$20 US bottles of shampoo to enhance the color of your cat's coat, the one on the right is volumizing, and there is also creme rinse and a variety of styling aids. It's best to shampoo your cat about 5 days prior to showing, so some of the natural oils have a chance to come back. I can't believe I know this!

I own a Mason Pearson hairbrush and I deliberated for several months before justifying a $125 US hairbrush. I noticed at the show that these are the standard among the beautiful cats of the world, and now I feel like true Princess ;)

Not really. Actually, I'm wondering if I bought myself a very expensive cat brush, and I'm pondering whether or not Prince Opie is handsome enough to warrant such a fancy grooming implement.

If you're going to the hassle of shampooing your cat with color-appropriate shampoo, creme rinse, styling product, and a good going over with a Mason Pearson hairbrush, for goodness sake, do not screw up its grooming with an improper blow out!!! This fancy machine is a cat blow drier and it costs a mere $1,000 or so US. Isn't Fluffy worth it?

Remember the baby powder people from beginning of this post? Well, apparently, they're not alone because for about $20 US, you can buy concealer of sorts for under your white cat's eyes. Really, who wants to look at stained fur?

I've written this post mostly in jest, but I found the whole thing quite sad. Not just because people are spoiling show cats when so many others are being killed for no good reason, but because the photo above pretty much sums this up from the cat's perspective.

At the back left of the cage, you can see that the poor cat is trying to hide itself from the show traffic. Purebred or not, it's still just a cat and cats like to sleep and they like to be cuddled. They do not like to be bathed, primped, held on stretched arms, inspected, or made to spend their days in cages while people look at them like some sort of bizarre specimens of perfection.

January may find me on the show circuit with my friend and his gourmet kitten. With or without me, he will show this cat, so I may as well join him for the ride!

Next post is back on the topic of Italy, Trevi Fountain sounds good...

pasta & sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers & artichokes

If I had to be picky, I'd say the one place Italy disappointed was in the area of food. I know, I know, I must be crazy, right?

To Italy's credit, I've never been a big fan of pasta. Even as a student, I've never "lived on" pasta, I much prefer potatoes. I love a good manicotti, but let's face it, that's more about the cheese than the pasta.

In Italy, I had pasta exactly twice, more out of a feeling of obligation than real desire. The first dish had tomatoes and roasted aubergine (which used to be "eggplant" until I moved to Denmark and decided I prefer its European name), but it didn't even begin to appease until I'd buried it in freshly grated cheese. The second was a delicate spinach and ricotta filled ravioli with pesto and pine nuts, which was much better :)

I ate enough caprese panini and pizza margherita to last several lifetimes. It got so boring that I actually ate Indian three times... Indian, in Rome!!! Crazy!

But as a pasta averse vegetarian, my options were somewhat limited. Authentic Italian food isn't like the Italian American food I grew up on, there was a lot of ham and guts. Yes, guts... like tripe, brains, intestines, and oxtail.

I'm feeling like maybe I haven't given pasta a fair chance, so I'm going to give it another try and see if I can't make friends. Of course, given my potato habit and the abundance of potatoes in Denmark, I'm not sure I need to make friends with another white food. But in most Danish restaurants, vegetarian = pasta so it wouldn't hurt to learn to enjoy it now and then instead of just sulking and picking out the good stuff.

Tonight's foray into pasta involved sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and artichokes in a creamy sauce finished with white wine.

1 lb. pasta

olive oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
7 0z. chopped roasted red peppers
1 jar water packed artichoke hearts, sliced
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 cup creme fraiche
chopped fresh basil leaves
salt
pepper
white wine

Cook and set aside the pasta. Saute the garlic and onion in a bit of olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers, cook for a few minutes, then add the artichoke hearts and cook another few minutes. Stir in the grated Parmesan and creme fraiche and heat through. Add the basil (as much as makes you happy), season with salt and pepper, then add to the pasta. Stir to combine over medium-low heat and finish with white wine to thin the sauce.

It wasn't quite love for me, but it was quite good, and if you like pasta, I think this could be your dish!

the armani guy

Part of the fun of traveling is meeting different characters (assuming of course that they're harmless).

My favorite character from Rome is The Armani Guy. I was walking down Via Cavour enroute to the Colosseum and the Palatine when a old guy in a junker of a car pulled over and asked if I spoke English. Figuring he was going to ask directions, I said, "yes, but I don't know how to get anywhere." As if he couldn't tell by the camera gear and sensible shoes that there was a pretty good chance I was not from around there.

Scammer alert!

Instead of asking for directions (which is probably the usual drill), he asked if I'd heard of Armani, and of course everyone has heard of Armani! Then, he pulled out a binder filled with plastic sleeves of tattered Armani ads that had been torn from magazines and told me that he worked for Armani in Milan. Right, like Armani can't afford glossies!

This was getting interesting, and I was wondering if he was about to ask 5'2" thirtysomething me if I'd ever considered modeling.

Next he asked my height (well, isn't he predictable?). I said, "short," and he pulled a plastic bag out of the backseat, took out a black pleather jacket and told me it was a sample from Armani's new leather line and that if I promised not to sell it or give it away, he'd like me to have it as a gift to take back to America to remember my time in Rome.

Yeah, whatever, dude. Before I could pull out the "I'm a vegetarian and that much leather makes me queasy" line, he suddenly noticed that he was running out of gas and being out of cash, he asked if I could give him a few Euros.

I was out of there in a hot minute with another travel story to tell!

Normally, I'd have kept walking, but it was broad daylight and there were tons of people around, so I kept my distance from the car and decided to see what was up.

This photo doesn't have anything to do with the story, but I didn't want ramble on and expect you to read about Mr. Armani without providing a pretty picture. So here you are... Hotel Ariston, one of the first things I saw when I arrived in Rome.

I hadn't even checked into my hotel when this was taken, but those curtains hanging out of the window just begged to photographed :)

back from rome

Rome is like a really amazing theme park. Everywhere I looked, there was something to see, experience, and remember. I shot over 20 GB of photos!!!

There is nothing new in Rome, there's old, and then there's ancient, and the two mingle perfectly, and one can't help but marvel at the amazing artistry and craftsmanship of everything. It's perfection, built one statue, mosaic, column, arch, dome, fountain, cobblestone at a time. There's no way it could ever be possible to deliberately create something so breathtaking.

In most places, this would be a special, stand-out building, but in Rome, everything looks like this! That "Via Paolina" plaque is the standard street sign in both Rome and Siena. It took awhile for me to catch on to these facts and to stop taking photos of pretty much every building and sign I passed.

I have close to 2,000 images to go through and I'm excited, but quite overwhelmed by it. So I've decided to show you Rome and Siena one sight or theme at a time. This will help me cull through my photos in an organized way, and to give you the best tour and commentary. I'll of course show you all of the major sights, but I'd also like to show you things like Vespas, bicycles, windows, terraces, arches, doors, streets, and cafes. Yes, I am going to be quite busy, but you've got to see this! Of course, if you've already been to Italy, you know what I'm talking about :)

Maybe I'm more of an Italy girl than a France girl afterall...

rome

If a more beautiful place exists, I'd love to see it! I cannot even begin to describe Rome for you in words, so I will try to show it to you in pictures.

Until I saw it for myself, I could not even hope to imagine or comprehend this place. To say I've been gobsmacked would be an understatement. How do I begin to describe an ancient city where ruins and art are part of the urban landscape? I can't.

Last night, I wandered out looking for the Colosseum. I was buried deep into my map, looked up to get my bearings, and there it was, to my left, at the end of a cobblestone street right where I wasn't expecting it. And that's how Rome is, there's incomprehensible beauty everywhere.

I've shot 8 gigs of photos here, so there are plenty more coming, but here's a sampling of my first mindblowing hours in Rome...








You haven't seen anything, yet! The Colosseum, The Palatine, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Palazzos, the cafes, the winding cobblestone roads with the most beautiful colors I've ever seen, I'm wide-eyed and in awe that I'm able to visit such a beautiful and ancient place!

choosing change

A year ago this week, I agreed to relocate to Denmark. I cried all the way from my office to the hotel, overwhelmed with anxiety and hoping I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life. I knew what I had but I didn't know what I was getting into, and I was pretty sure I didn't have a good handle on what I was giving up, and that was terrifying.

That might sound a little weird, but it's that whole Joni Mitchell "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" thing. That line from Big Yellow Taxi stuck in my head, nagging me for months, and choosing change was one of the most frightening things I've ever done.

Coming full circle with my decision, I know now that it's ok to choose something different. The leaves fall, the earth goes dormant, then it slowly comes alive again.

Tonight, instead of dreading as I have for so many years, the impending Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions of expectations, the requisite dead bird, and snide comments, I'm looking forward to a week in Italy, followed by a low stress Thanksgiving, and Christmas among friends.

The most frightening part of this change was choosing it. But true to nature, the winter has passed, and everything is coming alive again. I'm off to Italy on Sunday :)

thai noodles & veggies

I cannot get enough curry and coconut! This dish was good, but it could've been much better with rice noodles and a more imaginative mix of veggies.

I was cleaning out the fridge and cupboard, so if you decide to try this, please use this as a guideline rather than a recipe.

1 lb. spaghetti

chopped cauliflower and broccoli
sliced carrots
14 oz. coconut milk
2 T soy sauce
3 T sweet chili sauce
1 - 2 T curry paste
2 T lime juice
peanut oil
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 T minced ginger
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 red pepper, thinly sliced

Cook the pasta and blanch the veggies. I was using frozen veggies, so I cooked them for half the time so they wouldn't get overcooked when I added them to the pasta and sauce.

Whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, curry paste, and lime juice. Set it aside. The amount and type of curry paste that works best is subjective. I used about 2 T of red curry paste. Green curry paste tends to be spicier, so I'd probably start out with 1 T of green and adjust up to taste.

Heat a bit of peanut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the scallions, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic. Stir-fry until the mushrooms begin to soften, then add the remaining veggies. Stir-fry for a minute or so, then add the sauce mixture and cook it until it begins to boil.

Remove it from the heat, add it to the cooked pasta, let it sit for 5 minutes or so, stir it again, and viola! Dinner is served.

This makes a ton, so consider halving the recipe. I ate the leftovers for lunches. Some foods taste better after the flavors have a chance to mingle in the fridge, this dish went bland, so I do not recommend bulk cooking it.

accolades

Go Overseas loves Sage & Simple! They've named this a Top Blog for giving a glimpse of what it's like to live in Denmark!

How cool is that? Very!