Sunday, December 20, 2015

One hour to drive 5 miles....The Italian travel visa adventure.

How hard could it be?  We discovered we need travel visas to live in Italy for 7 months.  There is a visa called Elective Resident, so we thought that would fit the needs of Robb's sabbatical.  Next we contacted our usual Visa Travel service and they inform us they can't issue visas for Italy.  We have to go "in person" to the Italian Consulate for our region which turns out to be Miami. 
This begins to resemble Dante's Inferno and all the different hells.
First we had to find the right link on the internet to get us to the Miami Consulate.  Then after several tries and emails back and forth with them because they do not answer the phone- ever, I finally get an appointment window from 9:00 am to 11:45.  They are open from 9:00 to noon so I'm not thinking this is a great step forward.  We fill out the most arcane form for the application.  It seems that this form of visa is primarily used for weddings, family reunions and mission work...none of which apply so we end up leaving half of it blank.

Next comes the drive to Miami from Jacksonville.  We reserve a hotel room 5 miles from the Consulate so we can be there early.  As we drive into Miami the traffic becomes incredibly dense.  We decide to go to the Consulate first to make sure we can find it the next morning.  We locate the building and find where we would park and then hit the GPS for the hotel.  We have to take surface streets, but it's only 5 miles away- should be about 15 minutes according to Google Maps.  Hahahahaha.....the longest 5 miles of our lives- it takes over an hour.  Good thing there was a bar at the hotel. 

Next morning, we head out and it takes 15 minutes to get to the Consulate.  in the morning light with no traffic it's almost pleasant.  Arriving 45 minutes early we end up in the first group to go up for our interview.  The first two people are picking up their passports with their new visa.  The guy in the office digs around in a huge white bin and fishes out their paperwork.  Now we are up.  We tell him what we are applying for and he takes our passports and checks the photos.  Then he explains he will quickly review our form and after that it will go into the queue to be analyzed and researched.  "When do you leave?" he asks.  We tell him and he says well....it could take up to three weeks..to process.  He then gives us back the forms and has us complete some sections under the family reunion part.  He tears everything into parts and staples things together.  He collects $250.10 and says "OK- you are done."  The whole thing takes about 10 minutes.  Now we have the 5 hour drive back home, but at least there is no real traffic. 

We get in the car and look at each other- 10 minutes?  All that driving and frustration. 

Airports and animals...

Who looks closely at all the things in airports?  I'm learning they are treasure troves of marketing art, kitsch and wildlife.  I know everyone who travels has seen the sparrow in the rafters of an airport terminal somewhere in the world- but did you know Charles de Gaulle has sheep?  In between Terminals 2A and 2F there is a moving sidewalk.  As you float along outside the window is a grassy slope with a family of sheep.  They have a nice little place to sleep and eat and a fairly large grassy area to hang out and feed.  You can even smell them as you go by and yet most people don't appear to even notice them!

 
Below levels, on the bus line from Terminal 2A and 2F is a rather astonishing hot pink steer fiberglass statue.
 
In the green space between the Airport Terminal and the Hilton Hotel is a huge rabbit warren.
 
 
 
 

Then of course there is the Frederic Chopin Warsaw Airport.  Here I found an amazing amount of marketing kitsch that turns into some interesting edited art photos.  Legos and the Zubrowka Bison.  What a combination!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Foodie Warsaw




I'm finding my way here with what I think is noteworthy about a place I love- Warsaw is complicated.  It's old and new, it's fashion and food and traditions. 



There are so many big cities that all feel a bit the same.  Warsaw is always changing and becoming something new so it never bores me to be here.

Here are some of my favorite places to eat and drink in Warsaw:

Winestone in the Hotel Mercure Warszawa Grand.  A great little wine bar and café.  My first visit to Poland the only wine I could find was Hungarian or Georgian.  Now there is French, Australian and California wine available.  This café even has a Sommelier.  Pretty impressive change in 12 years!  If you are hungry try the Angus Filet with Fries and Blue Cheese dipping sauce.  They also have a very impressive selection of Vodka- of course!  would you expect anything else?
Blikle Café and Bakery on Nowy Swiat; since 1869 this chocolatier has been in business.  They were forced to close during WWII but have been continuous ever since.  Try the Hot Chocolate, Hot Wine, Potato Pancakes or a slice of cake.  Everything is excellent.



LaVanille Cupcakes, incredible Black Currant Cupcakes, a modern twist on a traditional favorite.  And they have good old Red Velvet Cake!

 

Last recommendation is for Trattoria Rucola.  A modern/traditional Italian restaurant.  Many varieties of pizza and pasta.  The key point here is fresh.  Made to order pasta and pizza with very fresh local ingredients.  Most of the herbs and greens are grown right on the front patio as you enter the restaurant.

Now of course, the obligatory paragraph about Wodka. There are the well known brands like Chopin and Belvedere and both are very good.  If you want a “real” Polish vodka experience you have to try Zubrowka and Zoladkowa Gorska. 

Zubrowka is the Bison Grass vodka that is made in the north.  The vodka is distilled with a blade of Bison Grass in the bottle.  It is a very light shade of green and tastes of vanilla and cream.  It is best served by the shot ice cold or in a traditional Polish Apple Punch of Zubrowka, apple juice and lime slices over ice.  Zoladkowa Gorska is a bitter herb and orange instilled vodka from the same region of Bialystok as Zubrowka.  The difference is that Gorska is spicy in nature and is just as good warm as it is ice cold and it is a nice sipping vodka. Both of these vodkas are available on line from Wines4Today.com if you want to try them without going to Poland!
From Minionki Cheetos to traditional Polish Potato Pancakes, you can find anything to suit your appetite in Warsaw.  In the past the restaurants were either Traditional fare; lentil or tomato soup, Chicken or Pork cutlets (usually deep fried) and lots of different ways to eat cabbage and boiled potatoes.  The other option most of the time was Pizza or Italian food which is still very popular here.






Sushi anyone? 
 
 

Warsaw Day 2

 Warsaw Street art has been around since the end of Perestroika in the 1980's.  It was a popular outlet for color and art given so much of the architecture was concrete and glass block. 


 

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The beginning of the Italian Adventure

 
In September, my husband Robb and I found out he had been accepted for a research sabbatical in Italy for 7 months. What a huge change this is making in our lives.  I quit my job (early retirement!) at the end of October and the time since then has been spent preparing for the adventure.  This blog will cover a lot of different topics from our trip starting with the preparation trip we made in November.  I finished working on the 30th of October and flew to Warsaw to join Robb on a three week trip ending in our city in Italy- Verona.




I just arrived in Warsaw last night and already it feels like home again.  I love this city-!

My first visit I remember thinking it should be in black and white like the old 40's movies with everyone in long wooly coats and furry hats.  I could not have been more wrong.  Fashion is the ticket in Warsaw.  There is an astonishing number of ways to wear scarves and there are hats- many different types from real fur to fedoras.  Walking in Warsaw is much like being in Paris- everyone dresses to be seen.

Today I walked from Hotel Mercure Grand around my neighborhood.  I love this area, it combines local with global.  There is everything from Polish linens and antique jewelry shops to designer brands like Zegna, Tods, etc.  Not to mention every possible place to eat. 
Within one block of the hotel is a killer cupcake place, an Udon shop, Italian and Chinese.  All very different from the Poland I first loved 12 years ago.  Back then all you could get was Nescafe instant coffee- now there is a coffee chain on every corner including Starbucks! 
The EU has made it's mark on the country with globalization, and progress after the fall of socialism has been incredible.  It is now the healthiest economy in Europe next to Germany.
Later today I will post some photos of local street art.  Graffiti was the original way to decorate the soviet style buildings of old and it is still a thriving art form.

The city is slowly redecorating itself with new architecture and remodeling of what's left of the old buildings.  It is the one of the best walking cities in Europe- I feel so safe here.