Escape from Vietnam

ESCAPE FROM VIETNAM

… for a month of wonderful travel

Ten o’clock Monday morning, creating loud clickity-clack noises as our luggage rolled over the cobblestone streets of Trastevere, Rome, Hai and I had already finished our cappuccinos and cream-filled croissants at the local cafe.

We also had just purchased 2 kilos of souvenir Romano and Parmesan cheeses, and a kilo of Italian salami.  That would exactly top off our respective suitcases, each at the 19 kilos weight limit when we boarded Thai Airways today heading back to Saigon.  The past 4 weeks in Italy and Greece had been “over-the-top” traveling and eating experiences.  Earlier in the week, we had stashed in our luggage a liter of extra virgin Greek olive oil and some fine dessert wine from the Greek island of Santorini.  Our final concern then was, “Would 1 kilo of dark Italian chocolate filled with toasted hazelnuts be “too much” to squeeze into our carry-on backpacks?”

Then the unwelcome reality!  Our favorite, #1 Trastevera pastry and chocolate shop, where a 90-year old woman has been making and selling the best dark chocolate (and cannolis) for decades, had not yet opened for the day.  🙁 We would have to walk to our tram, head to Rome’s central train station, then on to the airport, and depart Italy – back to Vietnam – chocolate-less. Life can be cruel.

But there was a bright side.  We could count on my two hands, together with one of Hai’s, the hours before we’d be landing in Saigon and enjoying a bowl of hot Phở. (For one month now, I’ve had to endure Hai’s daily pleas, as we walked through the streets of Rome and Venice, drove across the Tuscany countryside, hiked the gorges of Crete, climbed ancient volcanoes in Santorini, and marveled at the Acropolis and equally so at its Museum, “Do you think they have Phở here?”)  So, while we’ll both miss the amazing and varied dishes of Italy and Greece, Eating Saigon! was about to resume!!

(A note to Eating Saigon!’s readers: You may have noticed that during our travels for the past 4 weeks, Hai and I have continued to post regular Eating Saigon! blogs.  These were blogs about Saigon street food vendors and small eateries that we visited during several weeks before we headed off on our foreign journey … and then posted as we traveled.)

Now  we’re hoping you won’t mind sharing a short glance back at some of our wonderful memories of the past month:

ROME 

 

 

 

TUSCANY / SIENNA

 

VENICE

Occasional flooded streets …

… but no one really cares!

 

Because there’s always something good to eat in Venice:

And when we couldn’t eat another thing, we enjoyed a water bus ride on the Grand Canal.

BELLAGIO / LAKE COMO

In the small Italian mountain village of Bellagio, sitting beside Lake Como, we just found quiet serene beauty …

MILAN

Now Milan was another story.  No quiet mountain lakes here, but the #3 largest cathedral in Europe.

and some more great desserts!

CRETE

We had a bad-weather day on our first day in Chania on the Greek island of Crete.

But, it got better fast the next day with our 8 kilometer hike through Imbros Gorge.

 

 

 

And some special meals!

SANTORINI

And so we wondered, “Could life get any better?”

On the volcanic island of Santorini, Greece, we found out – YES, it could get better!  🙂

Is there a more fabulous view anywhere to have your breakfast served on your room’s patio?

And followed later by an evening meal of local goat?  … Sigh

ATHENS

 

And finally, all good things must come to an end.

We had great fun on our final days exploring the Athens Central Market.

LIFE IS GOOD … now, we’re back in Saigon … let the adventure continue, Eating Saigon!