Sunrise at room departure time...6am!

Having to leave for the airport, our last leg of our Europe480 tour, it was a bit bittersweet. I'm very thankful for Peggy, a life and traveling partner that brings joy and great energy to all we do! The sunrise, taken from our balcony, reminded me of God's faithfulness and goodness, and that His blessings are eternal!

And a fitting end to a glorious trip...global entry worked better than expected. 160 passengers in the passport line while we were at the kiosk, fingerprinted, photoed and out in 3 minutes. Walked to baggage claim as our bags were #1 and 2 off the line...through the customs line in under 1 minute...no kidding. In fact so quick that our ride didn't arrive until 45 minutes later....as planned. Oh well:) PTL for His constant care!
And who doesn't want to end with a photo of Greenland!

Bovio..trips to win!

This was our third experience at restaurant Bovio, and outstanding again. We had the power table and ordered like we knew a thing or two.  The view is breathtaking and the food sublime(I like that word)... Peg had the veal with tuna dressing(vitello et tonnato) while I had the raw veal from fassone cows with black truffle and Parmigiano. Wow!

Then we shared 40 yolk pasta and some Barbaresco. We tended to liked the velvety, less tannin wine of Barbaresco better than Barolo. Oh well, some day our tastes may mature.

Relaxing and Remembering!

Today, preparing for our return home, was a day of relaxing and considering the many blessings we have in Christ! Every breath, every moment is a gift from God and we rejoice in His faithfulness to us. A few photos of our room, relaxing and even a selfie in the mirror.

Last Lunch had to be Pizza!

A light rain while Peggy hiked to lunch made for happy vines, and allowed us to take a short drive to an osteria outside of town. Peg likes her olives, I like my sausage... Splitting one pizza is more than enough. After lunch, when the sun broke out again, we found the small painted Capella. We borrowed the Vespas as a prop from the Belgians who were riding them! The story goes that the two artists/painters have earned free Barolo wine for the rest of their lives! Not a bad trade. Stu, maybe the Capella/church needs cabinets too?

Penultimate Relax Day...

Thought I would capture a few shots of our room(the upstairs balcony, which runs around the full building, is accessible from each of our 5 sets of double doors upstairs), the pool (my feet) and two vineyard shots taken in the afternoon from our balcony. The room is called Cerequio, the place is called Palas Cerequio and both because the vineyard just outside our room is one of the top 2 designated vineyards in Barolo, not surprisingly called the Cerequio vineyard.

Buon Padre!

So a few years ago we heard of this restaurant having THE BEST PASTA, called tajarine, because the grandma handcut every noodle strand and they were as thin as 1/32nd of an inch...about...the first time we came they had just sold their last serving so we didn't get any. The next time we came with Jon and Ann, we enjoyed the tajarin tremendously. This time..even better! We ordered the tasting menu and had asked them to pair their wines for us..the total price was less than a Hawk's Sunday supper..and the quality was sublime! First picture is zucchini flower Frittata...the 4th appetizer, after beef tartare, veal tonnato and a Russian potato salad. The second photo is Peggy enjoying the tajarin, the third photo of the main course is veal cheeks soaked in Barolo and the final photo id's the complimentary adult after dinner beverage selection.  This came after 5 wines...a sparkling champagne, a barbera, 3 Barolos and so lots of joy to go around!

To end the evening we return to the nearly full moon rising...just outside our patio.

Orangier than Cantaloupe?

I know this is not post worthy, nonetheless, these eggs were amazing! I couldn't believe how fresh, orange and deliciously they were prepared...so I had to eat and post even though I was stuffed from last night's experience...

Lunch before the 1 Star...

Nothing better prepares you for a 1 star dinner, then a little vino rossi and a little rest by the pool..

Full Moon and Fireworks at Mark Lanteri...

A one star Michelin is always a treat, and even more so when....the full moon rises just outside your castle window...and...the yearly fireworks extravaganza launches  just outside and around your castle restaurant....what a challenge to convince Peggy I organized both for our anniversary celebration!

Breakfast with a View!

A nice evening rain to clear away some dust and cool the air made for a spectacular morning view from our window...I was offered an omelet by the head chef, along with the normal fresh fruits, meats, cheeses, yogurts etc., but I never expected a bacon and cheese omelet like this...huge AND delicious...there goes lunch:)

Barolo Time!

We have 4 nights to totally relax in the Piemonte area, best known for Barolo wines. If you've been following these blogs over the years, you'll possibly remember that Barolo is the village name, and the grape is Nebbiolo. We are staying at the Palas Cerequio, owned by Michael Chiarlo, a pillar in the region. The room is huge and comfortable, the pool has a stunning view of the hills and the meals on the patio, with black truffle, are excellent. Our wine pairing dinner included one white, Gavi, one Barbera di Asti, one Barbaresco and two Barolos, followed by Limoncello....Day/night 1 is in the bag!

Kate's Watercolor! Wow!

Our last lakeside dinner was superb and the moon rise over the lake made our evening picture perfect. To add to the joy, Kate, our Irish assistant, blessed us with a personalized watercolor of the 4 of us sitting on the patio relaxing (I'm the good looking guy with the full head of hair and no goatee...and no, I didn't have to pay her off!) ...what an anniversary gift!

Cooking Class in Menaggio...

On our last day we enjoyed a cooking class in a professional photographer's home in Menaggio.., she should keep her day job, but the joy was experienced nonetheless!
You might notice that Caleb and pasta making take center stage!