Bratislava Slovakia

 
 
 
 

Venice Picnic

Following my rest on the bench I headed towards San Marco Square and was completely amazed at all that I saw! But first a little Torte Almondine caught my attention. I of course couldn't disappoint this inch thick round torte of almond paste settled into a flaky butter crust and topped with lightly glazed roasted almonds.

I turned the corner and was witness to the most impressive sights and thousands of tourists. So I decided I would find a place to prop myself up and have a delicious snack.


The Square was packed with outdoor cafe's, historical landmarks, art and so much more.

Both Piano and accordian served as theme music to serenade the typical Italian experience in a flood of tourist activity, in comparison to where I had just come from, but why not appreciate both sides? So I did.



After I had walked and walked and walked some more I decided dinner was important. I had a little less interest in additional exposure to the tourist scene and happened upon a Billa, the local grocery market. There, I found a wide variety of everything anyone would ever want or need. Walking around I discovered a bag of fresh greens which would serve me well. I had some chips from my trip already so I moved on toward the cheeses. An impressive selection of smoked and fresh hard and soft as well as semi-soft cheeses were in front of me. Strategically placed on a tiered level of temperatures for refrigeration I began investigating the best choice. I settled on an unaged semi-soft Robiola Vecchia cheese and moved on to the wine section.

Wines are important in Italy and there was no shortage of appreciation in this medium sized grocery market either.



I knew to look for particular phrases on wine labels in order to optimize my experience without being disappointed. I remembered researching information on wines in general before I left the states and Ryan Snyder of winegeeks.com explains it best and most plainly: "Old World wineries must follow strict rules governing the types of grapes used in their wines, the area in which these grapes must be grown, as well as vineyard and winemaking practices. Old world wine regulations vary from country to country and appellation to appellation. However, in general, wines labeled with a specific appellation must:

• Be produced within, and contain grapes only grown within, the specified appellation.
• Use only permissible grape varieties and adhere to specified varietal amounts.
• Produce less than the specified maximum yield of grapes per hectare.
• Contain between the designated minimum and maximum alcohol percentage.
• Adhere to predetermined vineyard practices, winemaking practices and aging techniques.
• Pass chemical analysis and typicity tests."

Therefore if you know what you want to taste, the style you prefer and the region look for it on the label and trust it completely when you see it. I looked for this:
'denominazione di origine controllata e garantia' and found it on this lovely white wine. Oh and Yes, I liked the name most.


Imported wines are a bit different in requirement for labels and have regulations which must be adhered to in order to be in compliance.
I was less discriminating with the my Red Wine choice given I am a sucker for Cabernet Franc in general. It was also rather enjoyable!





I successfully dined and concluded my delicious picnic before heading out to the boat parade, which is another story all together...

Venice Italy

As I sat in a less tourist traveled area square, I sat on a bench with a native Venetian beside me. Her eyes were fixed on the activities of small children walking a dog, kicking a small ball, a group of church-going women squawking and carrying on in their expressive Italian language. This aged woman beside me was visibly entertained by what was being said. I myself was observing all of this including her. I looked over towards her. She smiled, giggled the most adorable light chuckle & turned back toward the square. I smiled & also turned my head once again toward the activities in front of me.
Nothing said, only observed for a short hour. In this time, my Italian bench buddy would occasionally slide closer and then a bit down as people would sit beside her. She was holding her newspaper in which she'd only occasionally open up, scan, fold up giggle and continue her observations.
In this experience, there was only our mutual connection to humanity. So much history & tradition which was discovered as a result of stepping off the beaten path not well traveled by tourists. Italians carrying out their recreational lives on the island. I felt like a background splash of color to this Venetian Painting of life.

Images to come...

Nice Rice - Vegetarische

A fabulous vegetarian restaurant with menu translated to English on one side, German on the other. With India fared favorites in Bistro style it was really an interesting experience. The food was, well, nothing short of creative and visually appealing as well as inspiring to my palate. Elena and I were surprised at the reasonable rates for food and the minted bubbly water was a nice touch.

A fantastic menu offered daily along with a specials menu which offered the most intriguing delights. Beet Root Curry and Banana curry salad were ridiculously amazing with a cucumber dill yogurt on one and a lemony olive oil on the other with fresh Feta slices tucked beneath.

The nourishment was presented in an artful display of color and aroma by a lovely server who smiled a lot. The quaint & cozy establishment was tucked inside a hall-way leading toward the NaschMarkt and certainly could only seat 20 people at most including two nice tables just outside the door.

Vienna Naschmarkt

Following my introduction to Zanoni lovin' my beloved Tour-Goddess and Dear friend, Elena Parkinson had me walk around a million miles, ok perhaps 4 miles but after the first 5 it seemed a bit like a million during jet-lag. I was ready to see Vienna so I complained not at all.

We visited the NaschMarkt which sounds like "Nash-Mart" there are some silent letters to be found here and others that won't be hushed. I don't mind at all. We visited this daily fresh market with the most impressive deli options and fresh produce that I have ever encountered. So many options too small of stomach, but my eyes were optimistic.

Samples are available at any moment and some speak English well which is helpful when inquiring whether or not something is vegetarische or not. We picked up some fresh Feta, Dolmas, Figs and Ciabatta loaf oh and some mixed olives. Terrific fun! We saved them for our snack before visiting the park down the block which provided our evening entertainment with some delightful classical music favorites. After walking a few more miles, of course. We did encounter Sturm which is "Young Wine" Which seems to be all the rage and I tasted it and can see why! More on that later!

A day well done!

Zanoni & Zanoni Creme Brulee Gelato

I wasn't certain I should brave the dairy treat but I said, "Carpe Zanoni!" and we did! I was not punished by this delicious embrace of buttery caramel and sweet creaminess blended, frozen and scooped into a small cup. Zanoni, my Zanoni! Every taste was pure magic, I can see why it Austria's favorite! (or so I have been told by the locals!) Sweet, sweet, treat!

VegHead ED Explores Europe's Veg-Options

Let's Go!!!! VegHead ED is off to Europe to eat & drink the delicious offerings abroad. This tour begins in Vienna, Austria on September 2, 2010 where my anxious palate will be salivating around every street corner to greet the most unique Vegetarian Culinary delights throughout the month! Traveling in Austria, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and as many more countries as we can possibly squeeze in!

I will do my best to add (1) recipe per each blog post so you may taste right along with me. I will make as many beverage notations as possible (yes, as many as possible) given that I will be in the midst of some delicious well crafted libations.

Be prepared for disappointment if you are expecting a "Julie & Julia" or Vegetarian "Eat Pray Love" rebroadcast event in any manner. This culmination of experiences would be most appropriately considered within a less meaninful context. Considering a concept more likely to equal "The Random Ramblings of a Jet-Lagged VegHead", "Lost in Vegetation", "You can't out-drink any Italian when you're only eating vegetables" or even something much less enlightening!

Either way you can bet it will be full of ridiculous stories and questionable behavior along the way! All in good clean fun - of course!

Until we Eat well, Laugh out loud and Veg-Out together again!