In response to a few comments...

I'm not quite sure why I decided to post my responses to a few comments made instead of writing individual e-mails, but I figure I would have repeated myself anyways so why not write in a public forum, because things always play out in the public eye anyways:

From Paul:
"Nice pictures! I hope you're feeling better. Also, interesting choice of adjectives to describe me in your previous post. "Adept", eh? I would have gone with "devastatingly good looking"."

Hey Paul! I am so loving the book Heat: An Amateur's Adventures As Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany that you recommended. Who ever knew that tortellinis are supposed to represent cute little belly buttons? And ravioli are made to resemble postage stamps? Why, it is the most endearing concept in the world, now tortellini will forever be belly buttons from now on in my mind and in my children's minds and in my children's children's minds. Also, now that I think back in retrospect, I had the best damn steak in the world in Florence at Ciro's and Sons, which is not far from the Chianti region (not saying I had a real chianina or anything). Who knew Italian beef was so good!?!?!? Who knew I've had crappy steak all my life and you can actually consume huge amounts of it without feeling heavy? But the bread, peh, it is definitely not missed. (Oh and you must visit the English Ciro's and Sons website, it actually plays my most favourite song ever from my now most favourite Canadian artist Feist, who is huge in Europe!)
My favourite character hands-down is Dario the butcher. He is too funny, or maybe it's just Bill Buford's great writing. From now on are you not only adept Paul, you are the-best-book-recommender-Paul. I'm now convinced I must go back to Italy, I never got the really good rural culinary experience, instead I only hung around the big cities with so-called "restaurants" that are serve crappy food meant for desperate travellers. The only bad thing about the book is that everytime I read it on the subway I get SO HUNGRY because everything sounds so delicious it's not even funny.
Oh and yes I felt better on Tuesday but on Wednesday for some really dumb reason I had a craving for crappy sushi made at the crappy sushi stand, and even though I knew to the very core of my body I would regret it later and it would be a very unsatisfying sushi experience I bought it anyways and highly regretted it later. But I am okay now.


From Sean:
"1) I'm interested in learning what Mike brought besides "bananas"
2) Remember when I took you to Main Street? Had you been there before prior to Sean Law?"

Hey Sean, Mike brought a delicious wine to my house (Mission Hill Pinot Blanc, deeelish) and I actually made him walk all around the house with it so that my parents would definitely not miss that he did indeed bring something to dinner. He kept on asking me, "do I still have to hold this?" It was too funny.
And no, I had never been before to Main Street, that lovely Gilmore Girls-esque street that is a hidden gem in Unionville (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one, but it truly exists).


From Angelina and Brad:
"Dear Betty, we love your blog and we're so happy to serve as your inspiration. Would you like to join us on our next trip to Africa? You could help babysit Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh and you would be such an asset. We may stop in Zambia to see Victoria Falls, check out Botswana, go on a gorilla trek in Uganda or return to the Mara Kicheche Camp and maybe elephants will invade the campsite! Please reply soon and don't disappoint us. Oh and would you like to star in our next movie, we have a perfect role for you as Brad's love interest, just like in the movie Legends of the Fall."

Yeah, I wish that was an actual comment. One can dream, right?

And here, as promised, the second installment of photos from my European trip:

Europe Gallery 2:

Rome, Vatican City, Nice and Paris

The oculus of the Pantheon in Rome

So tired of eating crusty and sawdust-like Italian bread, I am so happy to have sushi in Rome!

On our way to the Vatican museum... where power is money and money is power

One of the Vatican museum holdings that if sold, would apparently end world hunger.

Like I said... money is power, is power is money is religion..

After missing a train due to Trenitalia incompetence and a ridiculously overpriced cab ride from Ventimiglia, we finally arrive in Nice, in glorious FRANCE

One of the best things about France is the wide variety and sheer quantity of slushie machines everywhere! (Mike is enjoying his green apple slushie, one of the best flavours out there.)

Luxembourg Gardens, Paris

As I promised myself, if I was ever to return to Paris I would actually shell out the 9 euros to climb it... I got to do it with Mike on a very windy day!

View of Hotel des Invalides from the Eiffel Tower

This Monet painting doesn't look like the French countryside, it looks like a Luo homestead!

Even medicine haunts me in the streets of Paris... check out Brown-Sequard syndrome i.e. hemiplegia.