Our June 2023 trip to Europe started in Amsterdam and ended in Abruzzo, Italy a place we have visited a few times already and to which we return often. We visited a couple of other countries in between, France and Spain.

Amsterdam

Schiphol Airport is well connected to the city of Amsterdam, with trains running often. The ride takes about 30 minutes. We spend just one night in Amsterdam and took a boat tour through the canals as soon as we arrived.

Boat tour

We booked with Lovers Canal Cruises. To be honest, there is little to like about this tour. It is touristy, overcrowded, inauthentic and trite. You are crammed in a boat with lots of other people and are given headphones. Then a recording recounts a few facts about the buildings along the canals as the boat cruises. It was difficult to pair the recording with the sights. We saw other fancy boats around and looked at them with some envy. We enjoyed the tour nonetheless! The boat went through Amsterdam’s main canals — Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht — and we acquired a sense of the history of the city. It could be a great tour, but this was not the one.

Dinner at Daalder

For dinner, we treated ourselves to a Michelin start restaurant, Daalder. The location was beautiful, off the beaten path, overlooking a canal. The tasting menu was good, too. We decided to accompany the meal with wine pairings. This was a mistake, or was it? By the second glass — the waiter was pouring generously! — we were beyond tipsy. By the time the main course came, we were laughing pretty much about anything. We had a great time! The waiter at the end asked if they should call a taxi for us, but we managed to walk back to the hotel without too much trouble. The wine selection was very thoughtful and many wines came from northern Europe, such as Germany and Austria, which is unusual.

van Gogh Museum

The next day we got up bright and early — and with a hangover — and headed to van Gogh museum. This was quite an experience. It is the experience of seeing paintings that one has always seen in books and magazines finally as they really are. Think: The Potato Eaters. Or: The Bedroom. Or: Wheatfield. Or: Sunflowers. The museum does a very good job at showing how van Gogh’s surroundings inspired his paintings, for example, the countryside in the south of France near Arles. Unfortunately, we had limited time. We needed to catch a train to France that very morning. So we spent only 30 minutes in the museum. Sorry, Vincent; we meant no disrespect.

We rushed back to the train station and got on the Belgian high speed train called Thalys toward Paris Gare du Nord. Once in Paris Nord we made our way to Paris Gare de Lyon to catch the TGV to Avignon. Unfortunately, to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon one has to use Paris public transportation system. It can be chaotic. We made it, even though a woman decided it was okay to stop at the end of an escalator to put her baby in a stroller, while a huge crowd was piling up behind her and had nowhere else to go except pushing her and her baby. We were in the middle of this pushing and trodding.

Avignon, France and surroundings

Avignon is a beautiful small town in the south of France. It used to be — for a short while from 1305 to 1378 — the site of the papacy. Only few popes lived in Avignon: Clement V, John XXII, Benedict XII, Clement VI, Innocent VI, Urban V, Gregory XI.

Dinner at Pollen

That evening when we arrived we treated ourselves to a Michelin star restaurant. (Another one? Two days in a row? Did we exaggerate? Maybe so.) The name of the restaurant is Pollen. We told the waiter: no wine paring please; we had too much wine yesterday. They smiled. Little did they know it was not French wine we had the day before. We enjoyed the tasting menu a lot. At least, we can remember more of it than what we ate the previous night in Amsterdam. The most interesting dish was a garden salad. At first, it just looked like a bunch of greens, with a few tiny flowers sprinkled here and there for color. But, as soon as one starts eating, the surprise happens. The salad had a complex texture and array of flavors that suddenly manifested in the mouth. You don’t need meat. You don’t need fish. Just a salad. The waiter did say that this was the favorite dish of the chef. We agreed!

The next day was packed with activities. As we recount what we did, it looks like it was a lot.

River Rhone, Rue des Teinturiers and Palace of the Popes

We had an early morning run along the river Rhone. (One of us is training for a marathon!) After a croissant or two, we strolled around the city, bought too many cheeses at the city market and ate them with a baguette for lunch. Later in the afternoon, we got lost in the narrow alleys of the town and walked in a picturesque cobblestone street that used to have tanneries. It is called Rue des Teinturiers. Along the way, we had a mango lassi at an Indian restaurant to cool off from the heat. How French of us!

But, once in Avignon, the main attraction in town is the Palace of the Popes. In the late afternoon we visited its beautiful gardens, but we did not go inside the palace. It was probably a mistake, but well, one cannot do everything. The palace sits on top of a hill, dominating the valley and the river below.

We walked down towards the famous Pont d’Avignon, but we could not get in. We reached the entrance near closing hours, and nobody likes more than the French to say, c’est fermé. For dinner, we had just a snack since we had to detox from the cheeses. We tried a timeless French dish, escargots à la Bourguignonne, along with some pate and charcuterie. Not exactly the healthiest of the meals, but it was very good.

Provence, Gordes and Abbey of Sénanque

For the next day, we rented a car and explored the surrounding countryside. We wanted to see lavender fields. Shortly after we started driving, we saw a beautiful lavender field, with bright colors. Next, we stopped in a charming little town, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. We also stopped at a small winery. It had interesting art installations in the garden. We tasted a few wines and discovered that, in France, wine tasting is actually free.

Our final destination for the day was the village of Gordes, beautifully perched on a steep hill. We parked the car outside the town and hiked to the Abbey of Sénanque. The hike was short and easy (part of a longer loop which we did not do), but the heat was unrelenting. Most people drive to the abbey directly from Gordes. Not us! We thought the place should be experienced at a slower pace. The abbey sits at the bottom of a valley in the midst of lavender fields. Despite the scorching heat, the abbey was cool inside. We visited the main rooms open to the public, and an i-pad served us as our guide. It was handy as it showed what the rooms looked like when the Cistercians monks lived there in the 12th century. The architecture is simple, grand and austere, of silent beauty. The creamed-colored stones of the building perfectly match the natural environment. They exuded balance, serenity and a sense of eternity.

Pont d’Avignon

The next day, back in Avignon, we visited the Pont d’Avignon. We made it there as soon as the gates opened. The bridge stretches into the river from one side but does not reach the other side. It is a metaphor of many things in life–a reminder that human engineering cannot always surpass the strength of nature. The currents in the river perhaps were too strong for the pillars to stand. After an hour walking around this halved bridge, we were headed to the train station. Our next stop: Girona, Spain.

Girona, Spain and surroundings

Girona is a small town in Catalogna, not too far from Barcellona. The town is very walkable, with narrow streets and alleys, filled with churches. We stayed in Girona for a few days. One morning we run along the fortified walls. It was an intense work out, as we had to walk up and down hundreds of steps. But it was also a good way to explore the place from an unusual perspective. The walls around the town branch in different directions, and it is a fun adventure to explore the different corners, sometimes hitting dead-ends and having to retrace steps. Girona seems like a beautiful place to live.

Sinofos and La Regolta

We were tempted to go to another Michelin star restaurant — there are so many in Catalogna! — but we decide to refrain. One evening, though, we treated ourselves to Sinofos, a very good, unassuming, upbeat restaurant at a reasonable price. Another evening we ate tapas at La Regolta. It was a simple, delicious meal: jamon, calamari, octopus and potatoes, and a local sweet called xuixo. The waitress was so warm and friendly, and poured us a bit of extra wine.

Palamos

One day we took a day trip to Palamos, a town on Spain’s beautiful costa brava. It was a short bus ride from Girona. By the way, the bus station in Girona was very clean and organized. It felt like being in Switzerland. Once in Palamos, we hiked along the coast in the direction of Bengur. The trail we hiked — well-marked, offering stunning views and access to the numerous beaches along the way — is part a longer costal trail that runs for several kilometers. It is known as Camin de Ronda. We hiked just past Calella de Palafrugell and then descended the cliff to swam in the crystalline waters below. It was paradise, and a much needed respite from the unrelenting heat.

Abruzzo, Italy

The next morning, we took our flight to Rome and then drove to Teramo in Abruzzo, Italy.

Costa dei trabocchi

This time in Abruzzo, we spent a day driving from Teramo to Ortona and biking along the picturesque costa dei trabocchi. There is a long bike path that stretches several kilometers along the coast from Ortona towards Vasto. It is convenient to rent bikes in Ortona (where one can also visit the Castello Aragonese), San Vito Chietino or Fossacesia.

A trabucco is a peculiar structure, something like a house on stilts used by fishermen. The Italian poet D’Annunzio described them like this:

Stretched out from the rocks, like a monster in ambush, with its hundred limbs the trabocco had a formidable appearance.

Gabriele D’Annunzio, The Triumph of Death

Many of these structures have now been converted into restaurants. We did not eat in one of them. But we were happy with the excellent “fritto misto” we had at La Dea Del Mare, an unassuming restaurant on the beach in Fossacesia. We stumbled into it just by chance.

Maiella Park and Fara San Martino

The next day we drove to Fara San Martino, the town where the De Ceccho pasta is made. We briefly visited this town last summer. This time we wanted to hike a trail that from the gole di Fara San Martino climbs up to Monte Amaro, the tallest mountain in the Maiella National Park. We hiked for three hours one way and two hours back. We encountered three sources of water along the trail. The entire area is rich with water and there are several natural springs. The scenery changes quite a bit. The first part of the trail ascends rapidly along a relatively narrow canyon. Next, the trail goes through a thick forest. Finally, as the vegetation starts thinning down, the trail passes green pastures covered with colorful flowers.

Unfortunately, we did not make it all the way to the top. It would have taken us 9 hours or even more. We did not plan well. We should come back better prepared! And the weather was a bit capricious, as well. On the way back a rain rain storm opened up on us. We found refuge under a cave and let the sky do its thing. Very quickly the trail turned into a small river.

Pizza at Il Mulino

Back in Teramo, one evening we went out for a pizza at a restaurant called Il Mulino. The place is popular with locals and it was packed that evening. It was the weekend. The starters were very good, simple and tasty. We had formaggio fritto (fried cheese, a local specialty) and olive all’ascolana. The pizza, though, was mediocre. One can eat much better pizza at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. Well, Teramo isn’t known for pizza, so let’s not make unfair comparisons!