Travel – Page 6 – A True Love of Mine

What Katie Ate in Milan: Eataly, Light of My Life

As I sort though all my travel memories to decide which ones to share with you, they’re basically all related to food. I defy anyone to go to Italy and pass any moment of the day with an empty stomach. It just wont happen. Mostly because of places like Eataly.

Eataly is everything you want in Italian food under one roof. The three level building combines a bookstore and cookware shop with myriad dining counters, a deli, bakery, fishmonger, grocer, olive oil dispensary and many, many more culinary delights! We were too late for lunch here but stopped by to pick up a few things for a casual dinner before going to the opera that night. Actually, considering the time we spent wandering through the store, its quite amazing that we made it to the opera at all. Let me walk you through some of the highlights…

First you can buy all the flour to make your pasta, breads and Italian sweets

Then you fall into a trance while staring at the mesmerising display of chocolate and caramel sauces

Until you hear the siren call of the chocolate hazelnut spreads (think super fancy Nutella)

Then you might try to break yourself out of your sugar coma by visiting the bread counter
(they also sell offcuts of loafs used at the sandwich bar earlier in the day if you don’t want a whole loaf)

Only to be sucked back in by the hypnotic sway of the hanging legs of prosciutto
Swoon!

A little bit of cheese makes a more balanced meal

Oops… did I say ‘a little’? How about a whole fridge full?
Berlin, eat your heart out.

And by now you’ve decided that you can’t be bothered to make your own pasta
So you buy some fresh pasta from this counter

Don’t think you’re getting out without a bottle of freshly decanted olive oil
or vinegar.

Seriously, Italy, well played.

Walking through Eataly was like disappearing down the rabbit hole. The delicious and mesmerising rabbit hole. We must have spent hours there annoying the poor workers who were trying to restock from the lunch crowd to prepare for the deluge of diners that would inevitably descend in the evening. It took all my strength not to fill my suitcase with jars of olives, chocolate spread, oil and try to sneak in a few cheeses. Surely customs couldn’t begrudge a girl a leg of authentic Italian prosciutto bigger than her head? Surely!

But instead we satisfied ourselves with a hotel-room picnic dinner of bread, crackers, cured meats, cheeses and tapenade.

stop drooling

And I bought the world’s tiniest bag of pasta.
No, its a magnet. But it is actually filled with real pasta.

Dear Eataly, I love you and i’m coming back. I promise.

Eataly
Address: Piazza XXV Aprile, 10, 20121 Milan, Italy
Nearest Metro: Garibaldi
Opening Hours: 10am-midnight

What Katie Did in Milan: The Duomo and Cappucinos

I freaking hate coffee. Actually, it’s probably not that serious, more just that i’ve never had a coffee that i’ve enjoyed drinking. Until now.

Yes, this is me enjoying a cappucino with my breakfast in the garden of the San Francisco Hotel in Milan.

There was nothing super special about this coffee but I enjoyed sipping on it in the cool morning air, fortifying me for the day of sightseeing ahead. My husband’s family is Italian and he took the opportunity to show me the true Italian way that some things are done. Like only drinking the milky, frothy cappucinos with breakfast. As a milk-and-cereal girl (something the Italians don’t really go in for) this was the best way to get my hit of milk for the day with a little bit of a kick to get me going. Don’t get too excited though, now that i’m not in holiday mode, i’m still thoroughly unimpressed with coffee in general. It must have just been the magic of Milan!

What Katie Did In Milan: Bar Luce

After leaving overcast Berlin it was a relief to touch down under the clear, blue skies of Milan. Italy was where hubs and I were to spend the bulk of our trip and I have so many things to share with you all! Once we had checked in to our hotel, we were right back out the door to visit one of the most anticipated stops of our whole trip. The very first thing we did was hop on the underground to go to Fondazione Prada and get a drink at Bar Luce, a bar designed by my hero, director Wes Anderson. If you’re not already a fan, the films to watch are Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Rushmore just to start you off. Anderson’s aesthetic is wonderfully quirky and beautiful. I was super excited to be in a place designed by him and feel like a character in one of his films.

What Katie Ate In Berlin

Lets get down to business. On this blog we are much more interested in the food adventures that I had in Berlin than my lame photographs of the architecture. But, I had never been to Berlin before and so my food adventures were less… adventurous as I had a list of all the stereotypical German food items that I needed to try in situ. After my success with the mackerel I tended to just go down the list of German food with some delicious and questionable choices.

One huge regret I have though is that I never had one of the crazy over the top sundaes that seemed to be served everywhere in Berlin. Because it wasn’t super hot and I was so full of other delicious things I just never had the dessert stomach room for one of these bad boys.

But I did eat a pretzel as big as my head.

Just kidding.

It was definitely bigger than my tiny head.

Then I ate my way through a selection of Kinder chocolates that we don’t really get in Australia. This one is the Kinder Hippo that is a creamy white and milk chocolate centre surrounded by wafer and chocolate and chopped nuts. I ate the whole packet and i’m not even sorry.

This was a strange but delicious incarnation of the Kinder Surprise. It was basically the soft innards of the kinder mixed with cereal. It was every damn where so people must like it. I did! Why did I not bring more of these home with me? Because, my lovely readers, i’m an idiot.

Taking a step away from the sweets for a minute, i’d like to introduce you to currywurst.
Berliners seemed to be obsessed with this stuff. Basically it’s slices of sausage covered in tomato sauce then dusted with curry powder. I find this disgusting but hubs loved it and had it a few times. If you’re interested in tasting this ubiquitous treat, you can find it pretty much on any street corner. There are two types, the first is the one you see above with the curry powder sprinkled on top and the second is with the curry powder mixed into the sauce. Either way, you’re getting the curry ketchup flavour. Good luck. I did not like this one. Sorry Berlin.

This was another weirdo thing that Berliners seemed to like. To me, it looks like vomit sausages. On closer inspection, they are plastic sausages filled with soup and creamy vegetables and mashed potato. Can any Germans tell me why they’re packaged like this? I have no idea how you would open these without the filling going EVERYWHERE. This makes me question the reputation of German engineering.

And then my faith in Germany was restored. When I came across this full sized fridge of sliced cheeses and wedges of cheese, I felt simultaneously elated and frustrated. How is it that we don’t have this in Australia? Germany, you got your priorities sorted.

Just when I thought I had Berlin sorted out…. there was this icecream.
How is this called ‘Bum Bum’?
What kind of icecream could this possibly be? Can anyone shed light on this?

So, Germany, you baffled and amused me. Well played.

Stay tuned for more What Katie Ate

Next stop: Milan