Off to New Zealand ....

And so, another adventure begins. This Saturday we leave for Australia and New Zealand (land of the Long White Cloud) for a month long vacation.

The core of the vacation is the Rugby World Cup -- a quadrennial event being hosted this year in New Zealand. Paul is a big rugby fan, and Katy has graciously consented to attend two games.

But since we will be gone for 29 days, there will be lots else to do. We start in Sydney for a quick visit, then over to Wellington for some culture; Nelson for rugby and wine tasting; followed by a 6 day drive down the west coast of the South Island, ending in Queenstown. After that we hop to the North Island and Rotarua, where we will spend 4 days hiking (the NZ folk call it "tramping") in Maori country, before flying back to Australia. There we will hit Adelaide (again for the wine) and make a stop in Cairns to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. Should be exciting!

Adventures in Wisconsin

Typically, our family gathers every summer for a vacation. Usually we go to the beach -- it's a good thing we didn't this year as our normal schedule would have had us trying to go to Hatteras just around the time that Hurricane Irene hit. That would have been a wipe-out for sure.

So, to our good fortune, we didn't go to the beach this year. Instead, we took advantage of the fact that we were spending 6 months in Chicago to go up to Door County, Wisconsin -- to the little 1-street village of Fish Creek. We we joined this year by Paul & Natalia and their two girls, along with Mike & Debbie and their four boys. Brother John Blenner and his son Jeff made it up for 1/2 the week too, so it was quite a pleasant gathering.

We arrived on a Saturday and stayed in a set of condos at one end of the village (Paul & Natalia were at the other end in a hotel known as the White Gull). The rooms were pleasant with a small pool out back for everyone to swim in. The biggest flaw was that there was no flat ground -- hence our family obsession with the game of Core Hole (a/k/a "Bags") was somewhat frustrated. It is hard to throw on a hill!

That having been said, Fish Creek had much to offer. On various days we did a long 12-mile hike into the Peninsula State Park and an equally long (though somewhat less grueling) bike ride on the trail. Other grand activities included a day at the beach (where Paul, Debbie and grandson Aaron went sailing) and a day playing golf (for those who like that).

By far the highlight of the week (much of which was devoted to the arduous practice of laying about and talking) was the sunset. Fish Creek is known for its western facing beach across Lake Michigan and every evening crowds would gather to watch the sun go down into the lake. On clear days it was a beautiful sight to behold and well worth the trip.

The other highlight of the week was the food -- particularly that at the White Gull. One evening we went for a traditional Fish Boil, a cooking experience that is a pyrotechnic delight. To be honest we expected the fish served to be bland -- but it was far from that. The method of cooking created quite a firm, yet tender piece of fish meat that we just loved. Add in fresh cherry pie (Door County is known for its cherries) and the meal was great.

Equally good, if not better, was the breakfast at the white gull. Great muffins, wonderful coffee, good eggs and bacon. If breakfast is the favorite meal, this was a favorite place to have it.

Of course, the real highlights are just being together with family. Perhaps next time we can go in winter and see what it is like to do cross-country skiing.

Travels with Josh -- Venice

And so, we went on to Venice which was, surprisingly, the star of the trip. Neither Katy nor Josh had been before and the last time Paul went he founded crowded and confusing.

This time around it was all different. The crowds were still there on the Grand Canal and San Marco was filled with people (and unsightly advertising) but we went off the beaten path and wandered some of the back alleys and walks of Venice away from the maddening crowds. Far from San Marco we stopped in a small coffee shop peopled only by the locals. We successfully found a couple of restaurants off the beaten path, where the fresh fish was plentiful (Josh tried some more calamari) and the prices were not exorbitant.

To be sure, we didn't avoid "tourist Venice" altogether. But we did it in a way that was still part of the local culture. The first evening we were there we took a vaporetto bus the length of the Grand Canal to see the sights. It was crowded, but instead of tourists many of the people were working men and women on their way home. To emphasize the point, the boat-bus continued around the eastern half of Venice by the port before we got back to our hotel near San Marco.

To end the trip we did another "local" thing and too the vaporetto boat-bus to Lido, the barrier island. We went walking down the main street to the public beach where we joined mostly local Italians to enjoy a quiet day in the sun. We rented two lounges and an umbrella, while Josh built sandcastles.

And so the trip ended ... we headed home the next day, tired but happy, with memories for everyone.

Travels with Josh -- Pisa

We had never been to Pisa before. It was worth the trip.

Our adventure began at the Florence train station. For this trip we had not booked ahead, so we were on our own negotiating the purchase of tickets, finding our train, etc. It's always a small victory when you do that successfully in a foreign country where you don't know the language that well. One of the things we learned on this trip is that we prefer to go around by ourselves -- fewer guides, less planning, etc. More just "finding our way" wherever we want. That's part of why we particularly enjoyed the trip to Pisa.

Pisa is a small gem. We had a pleasant walk down to the main area where the Leaning Tower is. And, yes, it really leans alot. Frankly, when we went up the two grandparents were too afraid to finish the climb. We waited for Josh just below the top. Fortunately, there was a Danish family we climbed with and they looked after him to make sure he didn't fall off. But Josh loved it -- he came down pretty much screaming the word "awesome" to anyone who would listen.

We also enjoyed stopping in at the nearby bapistry which has perfect acoustics. We stayed around a bit until one of the guides came in and sang. It was stunning. The sounds echoed for so long and so well, that he was able to actually sing a three-part harmony with himself. Now that was something you don't see often!!

Travels with Josh -- Florence

Then it was on to Florence. That has been one of our favorite cities in Italy, indeed in Europe. We've been there three times now. Strangely, this trip was the most disappointing. Perhaps it is because in the past we've gone during the off season -- once in January and once in March -- while this time it was the height of the tourist season. There was just too much noise, too many people, too much dirt and too much graffiti to make it as much fun as it has been before.

Still, you can never be too unhappy in Florence. It remains a true gem of a city. We started our visit at the Central Market -- the type of food market that Josh had never seen before. We had lunch at the Trattoria Mario near the market -- a wonderful crowded family run restaurant This is a great place to experience typical Florentine dishes in a casual, friendly setting. Then we took a walking tour in Florence. As always the highlight of the day was to see Michaelangelo's David and to see the Duomo in all of its glory. Josh, however, probably preferred the ice cream at Vivoli's, which has always been the best gelato in the world. It was a short time -- but enough to catch the highlights. On to Pisa.

Bistro Bourdeaux -- Evanston, IL -- 3 stars

We had a revelation this evening ... a wonderful meal at Bistro Bordeaux, a French Bistro around the corner from our apartment in Evanston.

We'd been once before and the food was quite good, but tonight was really special. On Saturday's in Evanston, there is a large Farmer's Market, with fresh produce brought in from farms in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. We've been buying our fresh veggies there since it opened (we had some great sweet corn on Saturday). The Bistro does the same thing -- the executivie chef (a magician named Ben Benbow) buys fresh produce and uses it for a prix fixe three course meal with wine parings -- all for the wonderfully modest price of $35/person.

Tonight, we started with a corn mousse, over pickled squash blossoms, and scarlett corn salad. The whole thing was made just right and spice by a saffron cayenne espuma covering and the slightly sweet Dopff au Moulin pinot gris was perfect in accompaniment.

The second course was, however, the true gem! Lobster with braised baby fennel, amaranth, cucumber remoulade, quinoa all covered with a lobster sauce. Usually, lobster is overcooked and "rubbery" but this preparation was as soft as butter. A fine Macon-Charny chardonnay accompanied.

And for dessert ... a brown sugar cake with plums, black berry caviar and a cherry sauce. On a warm night, the Begerac Ch. Haut Santhers rose fit perfectly to finish the evening. All in all, the flavors were inventive and stood out without overwhelming. The ambiance was pleasant and the chef and owner (Pascal) seemed so eager to please that nobody could possibly walk away unhappy. We'll be going back.

Travels with Josh -- Rome

So our second stop was Rome, the Eternal City. Only Paul had been to Rome before and he always loves it. Rome has such passion and exuberance. Though we were there for 3 nights, it really was only two days worth of visit and boy were we overwhelmed.

We started the on Sunday with a trip to St. Peters. Josh, the altar boy, got dressed in his Sunday best for high mass in front of the throne of St. Peter. The mass was Latin, so nobody understood it But the crowd ... my word, there were people from everywhere. Right in front of us were a family wearing shirts proudly proclaiming their pilgrimage from a diocese in Senegal (I think it was). And St. Peter's itself is just magnificent -- did you know that the Statue of Liberty could stand erect under the great dome of the basilica and have room to spare?

After the mass, we went outside and stood in the blazing sun. At Noon, the Pope came to an open window on the top floor of his apartments and conducted a short prayer service. Then he read greetings to all the assembled below, using a half dozen languages. It was actually pretty cool to see him in the flesh.

A quick trip back to the hotel let us change our clothes and then go on to one of Josh's "must see" stops -- the Roman Colosseum. Wow. More than 2000 years old and built to last. Perhaps it was too hot, but we didn't enjoy the ancient Forum quite as much -- it was very much in bad shape and, unlike Pompeii, it was kind of hard to imagine what the place had been like in the ancient past.

Our whole trip was kind of a time-machine journey in a way. We started with ancient Roman culture in Pompeii and Rome and then, we moved on to Medieval and Renaissance times. Our first great experience with the later period was the next day, when we went early (7:30 AM) for a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. If you EVER are going to the Chapel go at that hour -- when we arrived it was nearly empty we were able to enjoy the view without crowds for a good 1/2 hour. By the time we left the Chapel it was packed to the gills. But oh my -- how beautiful! Paul had seen the Sistine Chapel back in the 80s before it was cleaned. What an amazing difference. What great colors. Strictly speaking we weren't supposed to take pictures, but Paul couldn't resist.

Of course, every trip has to have its moments of "oops" and today was that day. First, Katy and Josh went climbing up to the top of St. Peter's basilica, and Josh dropped his camera over the side. It's a loooooong way down. Bye-bye camera. Then Katy, in her haste, left her Blackberry sitting on the bench as we sat recovering (or so we think). Bye bye blackberry (I couldn't resist that!). So we spent part of the afternoon sitting around trying to figure out what happened. Along the way, we did have a chance to do some other wonderful sightseeing. First at the Spanish steps, and then at the Trevi Fountain -- two of the most beautiful places in the world.

The tradition is that if you throw a coin in the Trevi you will come back to Rome. We told Josh he had to do it and then come back with his wife. He told us that he would bring us with him -- so we both threw coins in as well.

After that, we had dinner the last night at the Divine Sin restaurant, about which we've already written ... and that was the whirlwind Rome tour.