Gluttony is Good!

I made it back safely to Florence and returned to the classroom on Wednesday, April 11. It was great to see the students again, and that night many of us got together for another Cultural Calendar event: dinner at Il Latini.

Here’s how AIFS described this group meal: “Famous Florentine institution in all the guidebooks. No menus; they decide what you are eating (always involving meat). It will be a real feast of typically Italian dishes, a chance to try out all the courses.” They weren’t lying!

First of all, this restaurant really does appear in all the guidebooks. Here are just a few sample entries:

Fodors: Although Il Latini may well be the noisiest, most crowded trattoria in Florence, it’s also one of the most fun, precisely because of the liveliness. A genial Torello (“little bull”) Latini presides over his four big, homey dining rooms. Ample portions of ribollita prepare the palate for the hearty meat dishes that follow. Florentines and tourists alike praise the agnello fritto (fried lamb), and the ravioli con ricotta e spinaci (stuffed with spinach and cheese) is so tasty that kids don’t even realize they’re eating greens.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: There is always a crowd of both foreigners and locals clamoring for a table outside Il Latini’s large, noisy trattoria, where huge hams hang from the ceiling. The food is traditional and portions are enormous. Bypass the pasta and try the succulent grilled and roasted meats; bistecca alla fiorentina (broiled T-bone steak) is an experience.

City Secrets Guide Book: Slather olive oil on the ribollita and devour a steak at the communal table at Il Latini. No menus, just grouchy waiters and well-dressed Florentines. Rough, but…

No buts about it, I couldn’t wait to try this place! We met outside the school and walked over to the restaurant, only to find dozens of people already waiting outside for a table. But not us—we were whisked right in, much to the chagrin of an American tourist whom we overheard saying, “About 30 of them just walked right in.” Sorry, ma’am!

We were escorted to a large room, where we filled three communal tables. The table already contained enormous two-liter bottles of wine, bottles of water, olive oil, vinegar, and other condiments. As soon as we sat down, a huge plate of proscuitto was placed in front of me. As I got ready to pass it on to the person next to me, I realized that this plate was for me alone, and eventually everyone at the table was served this huge plate of meat. And this was only one of the starters. We were also served two types of crostini (one with chicken liver and one with tomatoes), another type of cured meat, and a mozzarella and tomato salad. Knowing that there was much more to come, we all realized that we had to pace ourselves.

Next came the primi piatti. We were served large platters of ravioli di ricotta e spinaci and rigatoni al ragù di cinghiale (rigatoni with wild boar sauce). There were also huge bowls of zuppa di fagioli col grano faro (soup with white beans) and ribollita (vegetable soup). We passed the platters and bowls around and dug in.

And the fun had only just begun, for next on the menu was a gigantic planner of meats: pollo arrosto (roasted chicken), coniglio arrosto (roasted rabbit), roast beef, arista di maiale (pork chops), and probably even more. At this point I was feeling rather overwhelmed! And even more bowls and platters came out, filled with an array of vegetables: roasted potatoes, white beans in a tomato broth, peas, and spinach. And there were huge basket of Tuscan bread to use to sop everything up. Would the madness ever stop?

No, because a short time later another huge platter arrived, this time loaded with desserts: profiteroles, crème caramel, chocolate cream pie, and a torte. And there were huge plates of biscotti, to dip in Vin Santo of course, which was delivered to all of us. And this was all followed by glasses of Moscato and cups of espresso.

Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much food in one place at one time, not to mention right in front of me. Was I a glutton for a night? We all were! Did we enjoy it immensely? You better believe it!

Some Random Thoughts V

1. Here Chip is, working feverishly on the train from Venice to Verona. Billable hours, anyone?

2. When he's not working so hard, Chip has this uncanny way of making friends everywhere he goes. Here he is with a group of new friends at Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence. And, yes, here he is with some similar new friends in Rome. That man gets around!

3. No, no sense of obligation to authenticity, no devotion to the history of a place, no value placed on local products and tastes. Here they are—a McDonald’s in Venice that even a pigeon from Piazza San Marco has managed to discover; and one in Rome, just steps from where Audrey and Gregory spent their singular Roman Holiday.

4. And while we’re on the topic of corporations, yes, here it is, the first Starbucks I’ve seen since January, and in quaint little Heidelberg of all places. Oh, I know what you’re wondering. No, I wasn’t even remotely tempted to go in for my usual grande nonfat extra-hot latte!

5. While in our hotel in Verona, I noticed a strange thing placed under the sink. Whatever could it be? Was it some sort of storage area? Was it a minibar? Further inspection revealed its true identity. Yes, folks, here you have it, something no one can live without—a pull-down bidet!

6. This sign in a church in Venice pretty much says it all. Priceless!

7. Now on a more serious note. It’s funny, but it was harder to say goodbye to Chip this time than it was back in January, even though we’ll now be apart for a shorter amount of time. It’s probably because now that he’s been in Florence with me, he’s left behind all kinds of memories. Now when I’m in my apartment or walking around the city, I can picture him there with me, and it makes me miss him even more. But as we were saying our goodbyes in Würtzburg, he said to me, “Just think, Carolyn, as soon as you get back home, we’ll be able to rediscover San Francisco together.” I can’t wait…

HB to CMS in RODT

Monday, April 9, was my 45th birthday, and I’m grateful to both Italy and Germany for making this day a national holiday (Easter Monday). You see, I usually teach on Mondays, and the fact that it was a holiday is the only way that I was able to spend this day with my family. Happy Easter Monday!

Chip and I woke up early and decided to take a stroll through the same park in which we had gotten so scared the night before. It’s amazing how benign things can look in the daylight! Even that face didn’t look nearly as menacing! Flowers were in bloom everywhere; it was a perfect spring morning.

We all met in the hotel lobby for breakfast, where Jake proceeded to stand up to give a toast. He said, “Today is April 9, and on this day, 46 years ago, Carolyn Seefer was born.” I said, “Jake, I love the toast, but did you have to give me an extra year?” We all laughed! (By the way, he did this all on his own. That’s how great a kid he is!)

At this point I was ready to climb a tower to prove I could still do it, at my age and all. And the only one who was willing to do this with me was Jake. So off we went to climb the Town Hall Tower, which was once manned by sentries who warned the town of advancing enemies. (By the way, did you know that “town hall” in German is rathaus? I just love that!) There were no enemies to be seen today, only stunning views of the town.

After our climb we met Chip, Doug, and Paul for a walk around the city walls. Every few hundred yards, you’ll find stairways that lead up to the top of the wall, such as this one the boys are all climbing (I just love this picture!). It’s so wonderful to look down over the town from the wall, imagining what it must have been like in medieval days. And I just fell in love with the architecture—these wonderful houses with their pitched roofs and pastel colors. Just delightful! It almost looks like a fairy tale!

Once we made it back down to ground level, we headed back toward the town center. Along the way, we passed a store owned by a Seifert, presumably one who had managed to stay out of student prison!

Paul went back to the hotel for a rest, but we had one destination in mind: the Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum (the Medieval Crime Museum), which is housed in a 1395 building. This is not one of those tacky torture museums that seem to be located in every town in Italy (at least that’s what we kept telling ourselves!); rather, this is a well-respected museum that covers 1000 years of European legal history (now can Chip write this trip off?). Yes it had its share of torture devices, but it also covered the legal system, court proceedings , seals, and legal symbolisms covering seven centuries. Parts of it were really fascinating, but other parts make you realize what brutal creatures we humans are. The torture devices, masks of shame, chastity belts, and execution machines really give one pause. And, ironically, hanging right there on the wall, alongside all of this, were bronze reliefs depicting Justice.

Dare I say that we were ready for lunch after touring the Medieval Crime Museum? Well, we were, so we went down the street to a little restaurant we had discovered during our ghost walk the night before, the Mittelalterliche Trinkstube Zur Höll (or something like that; these German names are really quite a mouthful, aren’t they?). It was so great to sit out in the sun enjoying our lunch, complemented by German beer and wine, which is served in cute little bottles.

Next on the agenda was a tour of the Historiengewölbe (the Historic Vaults), a museum dedicated to the hard times that Rothenburg endured during the Thirty Years’ War. The most interesting part of this museum was descending down to the dungeons. We were all feeling a bit silly at this point, hamming it up with the wax dummies and in the cells! Upon exiting the museum, we discovered a man selling fresh hot apple cider, which Jake enjoyed thoroughly.

Jake and I then visited, appropriately enough, St. Jacob’s Church, a Lutheran church dating back to 1311; however, it wasn’t consecrated until 1485. This church is most famous for its Heilig Blut Altar (Holy Blood Altar). It’s so named because high on the altar, in a glass orb at the center of a cross is an important relic, a drop of Christ’s blood. This relic has made the church a place of pilgrimage throughout time, particularly during the Middle Ages.

After viewing this beautiful church and its relic, we went over to the Reichs Küchenmeilter Hotel, where we met Chip and Doug on their outdoor patio. Time for happy hour! We then returned to the hotel to pick up Paul for dinner. Unfortunately, he had come down with a cold and was unable to join us.

We returned to the Mittelalterliche Trinkstube Zur Höll for our last dinner in Rothenburg, my last dinner in Germany, and my birthday dinner, all in one. We sat at a table located in a wine cellar, lit only by candles. The old plank table seemed too large for the four of us, that is until the meal arrived. Talk about plentiful servings! Even Doug was inspired to eat a rib or two. (And those who know Doug well know how rare this is!)

And even though I was sad that I had to leave the next day to return to Florence, I can’t think of a better send-off dinner!

Thanks, Paul, for sharing Germany with all of us, and for letting me come along for a few days of the “Three-Generations-of-Seefer-Men Road Trip Across Germany.” This was truly the trip of a lifetime.

Oh, and by the way, here’s how I got home the next day:

1. Chip and Doug drove me to Würzburg (1 hour)
2. Took a train to Frankfurt (1 hour)
3. Took a bus to Hahn Airport, where Ryan Air really flies out of (1 ½ hours)
4. Took a plane to Pisa, the closest Ryan Air gets to Florence (1 ½ hours)
5. Took a train to Florence (1 hour)
6. Took a cab home (15 minutes)

Those Amazing Race contestants have nothing on me!