Bon Voyage and Toodle-Loo

At 4:45pm local time (Milan, Italy) this Friday, I have an appointment to see this:


Yes, one needs an appointment, often booked far in advance, because of all the Da Vinci Code nutjobs.

After checking out the sites in Milan (which I believe don't number that many), I will be getting on a train Sunday afternoon, November 22, heading to my favorite city in the world (for the 8th time in as many years):


That would be Rome, and this would be the Tevere (Tiber) and the structure in the background is the Cupola of St. Peter's (in the Vatican, of course).

(Jealous yet?)

No sightseeing for me in Rome (as I've seen most of it before), just time spent with good friends drinking good wine.

And then on Thanksgiving evening, I will be on an overnight train from Rome to Paris. I think I'll pack a bottle and make myself some friends in the couchette (ladies only). That weekend, I will see this:


And then drink more good wine - Beaujolais Nouveau will have JUST been released, so of course there will be plenty of that.

Full report when I return at the end of the month!

This is the awesome vegan boot I bought (the left boot came with it) from my favorite (vegan) shoestore, MooShoes. Stylish AND ethical. These boots were made for walking...through the streets of Milan, Rome and Paris...and that's just what they'll do...when I travel to Europe next week.

And just for fun, I threw in this tote from Brooklyn Industries for my carry-on items:
On SUPER sale. Check it out - THREE compartments, two external pockets, plus interior organizers.

Hurray!

Last Night's Pan-Latin Party (for one)

Mm. Fried plaintains.

These are as tasty as they look. Even tastier were the seitan-pinto bean enchiladas (corn tortillas) baked in mole sauce (of the jarred variety, gifted from Mexico) that I also made last night. Unfortunately, that dish was not as photogenic - but I went to sleep dreaming of the leftovers I'm going to have for lunch today.

The entree was preceded by guacamole (obviously, from scratch) and Kettle-brand chili-lime corn tortilla chips.

Now if only I had thought to bust out the tequila...