More Ischgl

Ischgl

After a 9 1/2 hr drive down the autobahn, we arrived this morning in a beautiful, sunny, Austrian morning. Today we are recovering, napping, and tomorrow we go up to ski/snowboard!

Hannah & San Francisco 

Sorry it took so long to get this up here but I saw my dear cousin while I was in California! For anyone who doesn't know Hannah, she's a delightful go-getter and in this particular picture she is proving true a hunch I always had, that everyone in San Francisco has closets FULL of costumes! She made these eye etching platforms out of duct tape and a boogie board. So to everyone who says before a party 'I have nothing to wear' - your best piece may be waiting for you in your shed or garage. 

Also while in San Francisco, Hannah, Jordan and I made a pilgrimage to Philz which has the best coffee. It's pour over, and includes cream and sugar which the baristas do for you according to how it should be done. The coffee has this lovely silky quality and is made even more enticing by the quirky, unexpected mint leaf they add. Hannah said this is because of the owners middle Eastern roots. 

And here's a pretty terrible photo of the three of us (Hannah & Jordan please forgive me)...

And I'm Off

You may think that 2 and a half days is plenty of time to pack for a trip like this and you're probably right. Just look at how insanely organized I got in 2 whole days:

And I felt like I did a pretty good time right up until I tried to put it in my back pack (which is all I'm taking for the 3 months I'm in Italy):

That's all the stuff I couldn't fit in, and it looks like a lot less than it actually was. If you have never travelled with just a back pack (and bear in mind I really have no idea what I'm talking about since I haven't actually travelled anywhere with it yet) it's HARD. Like insanely hard. There is no room in those things. After I stopped laughing at how ridiculously little I was able to fit in it, I took this picture and then called Muzz to the rescue. Apparently she has some practice with this from her trips all over the globe. She showed me how to lay everything completely flat to get it in, and ta-da - it worked!

And I took a lot of stuff out... The rest of my stuff is for skiing. 

But I'm finally gone and I'm sitting on the plane having a glass of wine (which is still free with international travel, this could be the last vestige of being treated like a human being while under the care of an airline. Do you think my children will experience this tremendous luxury?), and admiring the little bikes on the KLM plastic cups...

See you in Amsterdam! 

The Glass House

On Thursday, Jordan and I were lucky enough to enjoy the hospitality of one of his professors when he invited his whole studio class to his home north of San Francisco. We arrived at night in a rare but much needed deluge, with strong winds and pouring rain which continued into the Morningstar focal point of the property was an entirely glass house designed by the professor. It consisted of 4 entirely glass walls perched on the hills above Tomales Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The house was beautifully thought out and all necessary functions were concealed in two drywall cores on either side of the entrance (storage, bathroom etc).  Details of the house were  sometimes unexpected, like the cast rubber coffee table in the sitting area. The effect at night was like being in a box of black glass at night, but it was also very serene and soothing. There was no moon or stars because of the rain and even with your face pressed against the glass you could barely make out a single shape in the landscape. 

.

In the morning we awoke to a vast expanse or rolling hills, the tomales bay and more rain. With the rain came a little fog so at times it was like you were in the clouds. All in all it was one of the most soothing night and morning experiences I've ever had, and despite the storm outsid, inside the glass house was completely tranquil.

Green Tea Espresso

Made like espresso, but with matcha. 

Hollywood Farmer's Market

On Sunday Jordan and I went to the one 'must see' every time I am here- the Hollywood Farmer's market. Every Sunday, what feels like hundreds of vendors come and sell homemad lemonade, oysters and everything in between. What's amazing to me are two things, and I feel like one makes the other even more impressive. First, it's February. 

Look at how many people are there. There is so much here that this is just one arm of the market, there are 4 others, each just as crowded. There are pestos, hummus in every flavor, bread in every shape and  style,  meats of every animal fit to eat, oils, nuts, citrus, fish, cheeses and every vegetable. The second thing that amazes me every time I go is the variety. 

When you get oysters, it's not just 'how many would you like?' It's ' would you like salty or sweet? Big or small?' Your oysters can taste creamy, tangy, salty like an ocean or salty like bacon. It's not that farmers markets in other parts of the country don't have a lot to offer, it's just this one has such a variety and such an abundance that you can taste different varieties of the same thing next to each other and start to understand the differences between different varieties of the same food.