Hi there! Pickle Deli Square is a collection of my experiences living, eating, and traveling the world. Currently an expat based in Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
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For lunch the next day, I chose Gurtlerhoft Restaurant. It's situated right next to the Cathedral, and seemed quite popular with tourist groups. But I had read some convincing reviews from locals who praised the food here, so had decided to give it a try.
You go down a flight of stairs and enter this "cave." All of Strasbourg is so atmospheric!
Strasbourg is fairy tale charming. It's probably one of the things that compelled me to visit - it just seemed so "European!"
You imagine Beauty and the Beast taking place in a town like this; in fact, it's said that the town from which the Disney animators drew inspiration is just south of Strasbourg.
I think there are probably a few American apartment developments or subdivisions inspired by the Alsace region!
I had stayed at a Motel One a few years ago in Munich, and thought the concept was quite attractive: modern rooms with just what you need at a reasonable cost. One of the Motel Ones in Stuttgart (there are a few) was just a block from the Hauptbanhof (train station), and given that I had late evening/early arrivals in Stuttgart both times I was passing through, this hotel was a logical choice.
So much for "Swiss punctuality."
Posters on a certain frequent flyer message board often like to say how efficient, punctual, and reliable SWISS is, along with their partner Lufthansa. I guess it's the national reputations of Switzerland and Germany influencing the perception of the national airlines. Though if you look at the statistics, Iberia has been the most punctual airline in the world the past few years, the stereotype of Spanish people being lazy and tardy notwithstanding.
So I had confidently booked a 45 minute connection in Zurich Airport, for my flight from Valencia to Stuttgart. It was a way to maximize my work day, yet still arrive in Stuttgart the same evening.
When I got to the airport, however, I found out that the flight was delayed 35 minutes! And the check-in agents refused to look for alternate possibilities, telling me that I had to go to Zurich to be rebooked. How does this make sense? What if it became so delayed that I would be stranded in Zurich while in Valencia I could just go home?
So I was left with little choice but to head through security and cross my fingers that it would all be resolved in Zurich.
Ibiza is a small airport, so the chances of spending a lot of time here are probably not great. Still, they have an Aena-operated lounge called Sala Cap des Falcó, which is accessible by Priority Pass!
It's located at one of the ends of the terminal, near gate 1. So after coming through security, make a U-turn. Don't make the mistake that I did and walk to the opposite end of the terminal!
Separated by only 100 miles, Ibiza and Valencia share some food customs, naturally. Typical Ibicenco foods include the sausages botifarra and sobrasada, which can also be found on the mainland. Surprisingly to me, a lot of the typical products and dishes involve meat, when I had thought that seafood would play more of a starring role.
One dish that does highlight seafood is the dish "bullit." It's a cool concept of featuring the same produce in different forms, akin to Peking Duck, where first you eat the skin, then the meat inside of buns, then a broth with the duck bones.
We tried bullit at the restaurant Es Calo, in Es Calo ;) , on the island of Formentera.
Formentera is an island quite close to Ibiza, and popular for day-trippers. Here's an outline for an itinerary to get a taste of Formentera in one day.
First, there are a couple different ferry companies that go between Ibiza and Formentera. They're comparable in cost and all advertise a 30-minute "fast ferry" ride. Our trip time was more like 45-50 minutes! I can't imagine how long the 1-hour "slow ferry" would take...
Our first stop was Ses Illetes, a narrow spit of land going into the sea. I just couldn't get over how clear and blue the waters were here!
Before visiting Ibiza, I used to think of beaches and partying when I thought of the island.
I'm sure the partying is quite spectacular - the road from the airport to town was plastered with billboards promoting parties and clubs - and the beaches for sure are among the most picturesque in the world.
But I was surprised by what a charming the old town Ibiza was.
Gelato.
I got my first taste of the inimitable texture and pure flavor of fresh gelato in my trip to Rome almost a decade ago, but it wasn't until I visited Florence and Bologna a few years ago when I became truly obsessed with gelato, even taking a gelato-making class.
Now, every time I come to Italy, I make an effort to try as much gelato as possible. Every store is different, and the pistachio in one gelateria will be different from the pistachio in the next. Besides, as I learned in my class, gelato uses more milk than cream, so it's almost healthy! ;) (It's also why the flavors shine through so clearly compared to ice cream - there isn't so much fat that gets in the way.)
This trip to Milan, with a weekend in Emilia-Romagna was no different: I'm proud to say that I averaged 1.67 gelatos per day over the course of my 9-day trip. Here's a rundown of the highlights.
After not getting to eat at the "recommended" Da Enzo and Da Danilo in Modena because they were full, I called ahead to Ristorante Cocchi to make a reservation for lunch two days later. The friendly guy spoke English well, and asked me to call ahead if I couldn't make the reservation because he said that Sunday lunches were his busiest times.
Cocchi is a bit outside of Parma town center. It's a pretty easy walk down a slightly dull, busy road, but I did take the bus back into town on the return to save time and get out of the sun.
My table was waiting for me with my name on a little tent card!
For my starter, I got a plate of cold cuts - I wanted to eat Parma ham in Parma! The plate included salume, parma ham, culatello (ham from the pig's rear end, supposedly the most tender of all), bacon, and coppa, all served with fried bread.
When I was choosing where to spend my weekend after Milan Design Week, I originally had decided on Cinque Terre. It was a place I missed visiting on my Pisa/Florence/Bologna trip a few years ago, and it seemed like a relaxing place to be for just a couple of days.
When I looked into it more, though, it seemed like a combination of cute buildings, stunning scenery, and a bunch of tourists. Which isn't bad - Lake Como is kind of like that -, but I thought back to my Pisa/Florence/Bologna trip and remembered another part of the region that I missed: learning more about the vinegar of Modena ("balsamic vinegar" as we call it in the US), Parmesan cheese, and Parma ham.
I investigated doing a tour of my own, looking up different cheese factories and their opening times, seeing how much it was to go by taxi to the different spots. I quickly came to the conclusion that a food tour would be much more convenient, relaxing, and potentially cost-saving. The food tour from Italian Days had wonderful reviews online, so I just booked it and didn't think twice about it.
I didn't make any reservations for dinner in Modena before I arrived. Probably not the best idea, but I was simply too exhausted to do much research and planning.
My Airbnb host recommended Da Enzo and Da Danilo, but said that they would likely already be fully booked on a Friday evening. I walked over, and indeed they were fully booked. A note for next time: I got a good vibe from Da Enzo. I walked up and came upon all of the staff, including the waiters, folding tortellini in the landing!
I wandered around town, passing by the famous Osteria Francescana, and passed by this little terrace tucked into a corner of buildings. I kept walking, but eventually circled back and decided that this had a nice, relaxed atmosphere, and that's all that mattered this evening.
There are some cities where I've not even gotten out of the taxi from the bus/train station/airport and already feel stressed and hectic (Rio de Janeiro). Others where I feel refreshed and alive (Oslo). Others were I only think of how soon I can get to air conditioning (any city in Asia in summertime).
Modena is a city where, just by walking a few minutes from the train station to my Airbnb in the city center, I felt calm, relaxed, and immersed in a sensation of refinement.
The colonnaded walkways, the streets gently curving about. It's such an elegant city.
These features are also distinctive. Watching the second season of Master of None with no context or background, I knew it was Modena where Aziz Ansari went to study pasta making before they even said it.
There have been a lot of innovations in hotels in the last couple of decades, from big things like making lobby spaces more multifunctional - integrating lounge space, restaurant space, and check-in space for example - to simpler things like getting rid of highly decorative wallpaper and heavy drapes for a cleaner look.
In fact, last year I stayed at the Moxy Milan Malpensa hotel for a night during Design Week, and absolutely loved it. A new brand from Marriott, Moxy hotels try to give you just what you need, no more, no less. So arriving on a late flight, I was glad there were local food and drink options right in the lobby/check-in-desk/bar. The room was small but I didn't lack for any more space, being just a short layover. The bathroom was great. I really feel like they studied travel habits well and designed the hotel around the experience.
What hotel hasn't apparently changed in the decades? The Marriott Milan.
You know there's that type of person who insists they're the arbiter of authenticity?
They say they traveled somewhere for two weeks, or they lived someplace for two years, so they know.
They say that "real," "authentic" Italian pizza has a thin, crispy crust. It doesn't have loads of cheese. It's nothing at all like the spongy, greasy pizza that you're used to: soooo American. (As if inauthentic food can't be delicious, too!)
You know the type, right?
Well, let me present to you Pizzeria Spontini, a little chain of pizza places around the Milan area.
Last year during Design Week, I came upon this cute "bistrot"-type restaurant. Big windows looked into a cozy interior, no tablecloths, casual, a simple, seasonal menu. Reviews looked good. But of course it was fully booked for the evening.
People can be surprised, but sometimes eating in Milan during Design Week can be a rather un-inspirational experience. You're walking from one place to another trying to see as many shows as possible, so you prioritize convenience and speed and pick up reheated pizza on the go. Or you decide to sit down, but the restaurants are completely packed.
Time for my yearly trip to Milan for Design Week! Eurowings, the new-ish budget airline of Lufthansa, FKA Germanwings, turned out to be the cheapest option going to Milan. Much cheaper than Ryanair. So always price shop and never assume Ryanair or EasyJet are the cheapest!
The hamburger craze in Valencia started long before I arrived several years ago, and it's still going strong. I'm pretty sure I eat more burgers with my friends every year in Valencia than I used to in the US in fact.
The burgers here range from okay to pretty good, with the main complaints being:
- beef that doesn't really taste like beef, because of lots of added Worcestershire sauce or other flavorings
- beef that didn't have the texture of beef: with additives like vegetable fibers, burgers here often have the bouncy texture of sausages, and maintain an industrial cylindrical shape before and after cooking
- bread that is too firm.
With the arrival of Goiko Grill, of all things a Madrid-based chain opened by Venezuelans, we finally have a real, honest-to-goodness burger in the city.
My journey back to Valencia started in the groggy early morning hours to walk to the train station, getting on the Arlanda Express, and checking in my bag in time for the 6:15am flight. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the SAS Lounge, having been to the Copenhagen one a couple years ago (very crowded), and the Gothenburg one (very slim pickings). I was surprised that the lounge in Stockholm featured a new design, with sections separated by carpeting and screens, creating various little living rooms. The use of diverse furniture designs is brilliant in breaking up that massive uniform look a lot of lounges have.
The food was pretty good - mainly cold options besides an oatmeal option (I seem to recall). I went in for one last big helping of the pate that I so loved from the hotel breakfasts.
When checking into my Lufthansa flight, there was a warning in the email saying that certain countries (i.e. Sweden) have instituted passport control, even for flights within the Schengen zone. This started with the refugee crisis...
