James' Euro Trip 2010 - Part 4

Eating and Sleeping!

 

Food and Drink

Most food I had was fantastic. I documented A lot of it in pictures.

This is hot chocolate. In Italy, you get a tiny cup of it, and it costs about $2.00. When I first ordered it, I couldn't remember the words for it, so I yelled at the bar man, "choc-o-lot-tay caliente." That doesn't make any sense in Italian. The correct way to say it is, "zhock-o-lot." You must use a thick exotic accent or you still won't be understood.

I had at least one hot chocolate every day, and in Munich, I know I had 5 in one day. Each costs about $5.00 and was significantly bigger than what I got in Italy.

In Munich, the chocolate, milk, and whipped cream often came separately. This one in particular in the Munich City Center was delicious. I got it near the Glockenspiel (boring old coocoo clock at the Rathaus)  at the Munich City Center. I think the place was called Werners.

In Lausanne, the Swiss bring the hammer when it comes to hot chocolate. I rolled my eyes and drooled a little every time I stopped in a cafe and tasted delicious swiss hot chocolate. I really don't know why they're a notch above the rest. I suppose they just take their chocolate a little more seriously than everyone else.

This Swiss hot chocolate is accompanied by soup. Just the hot chocolate cost about $6.00. I had it at Cafe de l'Eveche. I should also note this was the only place on my entire trip where I was served tap water without asking. I felt like I was home for a brief moment.

 

In Milan, I ate a lot of pizza. Everyone knows what pizza looks like, so I didn't take any pictures. Also, street panini's are fantastic. Do not be afraid of the grimey looking trucks around Milan with stacks of little panini sandwhiches. I sampled some Lasagna and gnocchi too, both of which were great. Just like last time I visited Italy, coming home to American Italian food is depressing. I actualy didn't sample much alcohol in Milan. I had one small glass of wine, but my body was stressed from the cold and jet lag, and I didn't feel like trying any beer or spirits.

In Munich, I made it a point to drink a lot of beer.

In this picture is Augustiner Edelstuff.  Also pictured is some trout and potatos. I had all this at the Augustiner Haus.

Augustiner is a Munich speciality. It's delicious.

Lowenbrau can be found around the USA, but I'd never had it as fresh as it was in Munich. I had this at a fancy bar off an alley near the Rathaus. The temperature outside was probably 3C but that didn't stop me from wanting a cold one.

This was a Paulaner Wheatbeer. Paulaner is the official beer of the Bayern Munich soccer team and I had this one in their stadium restaurant. It was golden. You can find this one in the states too, at stores like BevMo. That said, tasting it fresh in Bavaria adds a little bit of fullness and thickness to it.

This is the Augustiner Munchen Christmas edition. I had 2. I think it might have been the smoothest golden beer I've ever had. It's like giving your throat a hug from the inside.

This is more Augustiner Edelstuff I had before a soccer game. I was on the train and some of my new friends insisted I have 2 of these. I had 3. It was a 40 oz. Once I got off the train, I didn't feel any effects from the alcohol due to the cold. That's a good and bad thing.

The beer in this picture is a Kronenburg. The French should stick to wine.

The more important part of this picture is the fondue. The Restaurant Raccard next to my hotel was highly recommended by many citizens of Lausanne as the best place to get real Swiss food. It was incredibly good and I have a great story to go with it, which I'll tell later.

In English, you can call this meatloaf and potatos. This was the best meal of the trip. The grass fed beef of Switzerland, combined with French culinary excellence made every bite one to savor. The homemade ketchup in the upper left corner of the plate was unreal. The potatos just dissolved in my mouth when they hit my tongue. I just walked into this cafe on a whim and it was fantastic. Cafe de l'Avenir is the place.

In Genoa, I didn't eat out much. The snow kept me inside where Anna, the owner of the bed and breakfast, treated me to some amazing meals. She didn't have to make any food for me, as I was merely a guest at her place, but she did. I was eating with her family (her sons were home for Christmas), so I didn't take any pictures. All I have to say is that Genoan home cooking was amazing. The spinach ravioli, pumpkin risotto, various cheeses, breads, and wines were excellent. Her son Marco also showed me how to eat raw fennel by mixing it with olive oil, vinegar and salt. It's an interesting Genoan treat.

Besides all the great food, I frequently treated myself to KitKats.

Hotels

I picked my lodgings based on 2 things. First was price, and second was location to public transport. Since it was winter, I got some fairly cheap rooms. The hotels were sparse on guests so I had the places to myself.

Milan - Hotel Bolzano - This place was ok. It was in a good location near the central station, and I could walk to the city center in 20 minutes. There are many hotels in the area, and I suspect one is just as good as the next.I will say that the walls were thin, and I could hear a lot of movement in other rooms at night. I was too tired most of the time to notice.

Me on the bed at Hotel Bolzano.

Munich - Mercure Hotel at Olympic Park - This place was a traditional hotel the way you'd think of one in the USA, but also decorated like an Ikea. Mercure is a chain and I found the hotel very nice. The public transportation around the hotel was excellent, and I freqeunted the bar for hot chocolate. The staff spoke excellent English. One thing I don't understand is why their breakfast buffet was 16 Euros ($20.) There was a Bakery right next door with the same food for $4.00.  If Munich was warmer, I would have easily walked to the Olympic Park to explore.

Lausanne - Hotel Alagare - I can't recommend this place. I was in a noisy, freezing room with 2 uncomfortable beds (not pushed together,) and no window. I had a skylight that didn't face the sun. I know not all the rooms were like this, but I would never risk having to stay in that room again. I got so cold at night, I would wake up shivering and sneezing out blood.  Also, the toilet and shower were down the hallway, even though my reservation clearly stated that I'd get a room that included those amenities. I did not enjoy walking down the freezing hallway to the Douche Closet for a shower. Of course this place was the most expensive hotel I stayed in ($90 a night). Free wi-fi was nice.

Genoa - Bin e Ban - This bed and breakfast was great. It was cozy, and Anna the owner treated me great. She even arranged for me to get a ticket to the big soccer game between Sampdoria and Genoa. As mentioned before, she fed me when we were snowed in.  Before I left, soccer schedules stated kickoff would be at 3:00, which would have given me time to catch a train to Milan after the match, and fly home the next day. Anna didn't charge me for an extra night at her place when we realized the soccer game was going to kickoff at 9:00 PM. I tried really hard to pay her. I even put the cash down on a table, and later I found it in my room. If you ever visit Genoa, definitely stay here. I know when I go back to see the soccer match that was snowed out, I will.

View from the Bin e Ban balcony