105 more days...

FAST FACT:
ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY

• Invoked when a task is too big to be accomplished quickly, this familiar saying was originally a French proverb, 'Rome was not made all in one day,' which was recorded in 'Li Proverbe au Vilain' (c. 1190).

GOING VIRAL!
I was contacted this week by the folks at YouTube to let me know that one of my videos had enough views to be "eligible to apply for the YouTube Partnership Program, which allows you to make money from playbacks of your video."

Was it one of the Macungie Mad Man videos that have been online for a couple of years?  Was it the videos from OPERATION: Gold Fish?  Maybe the 'Gilligan's Island' spoof?

Nope.  It was 'OPERATION: Poisson Rouge - TITANIC Drawing Scene'.  You're famous, mother!  I wonder what people think when they get to the end.

The video currently has 1,836 views.     

105 more days!

106 more days...

Cruising with Cyn
Collection of useless information circuitous to the OPERATION: Poisson Rouge Adventure.

This 6 week installment of Cruising with Cyn, we will be exploring local cuisine from the regions we will be visiting. Ken and I will be preparing a traditional meal from Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Florence, Nice and Toulon. We will be posting the receipe and our review.

There are many different stories about how carbonara came into being. The name probably comes from the Italian word carbone, meaning coal, and people have suggested that it could originally have been a coal miner's dish. Another theory suggests that it was favoured by an Italian secret society called the carbonari. Another theory is that it was made with ingredients, ie eggs and pancetta, which could sometimes be purchased from the same people who delivered your coal. Or, it takes its name from the specks of black pepper which resemble coal dust. Although largely accepted as a Roman dish (perhaps created at the end of World War II as a way of using the American troops' bacon and powdered egg rations) the original carbonara recipe has also been claimed as a 19th century Neapolitan creation.

Spaghetti alla carbonara
Ingredients
1/2 lb chopped bacon or pancetta 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic 1 lb spaghetti, cooked (do not rinse the cooked spaghetti) 4 large eggs, beaten (can use extra large eggs) 1 pinch salt (or to taste) 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste) 1-2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley parmesan cheese (to taste)
Instructions
• Whisk the eggs in a bowl with pinch salt; set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium heat cook the bacon until crisp.
• Remove the bacon to paper towels and drain all but about 3 tablespoons fat.
• Add in fresh garlic and saute for about 1 minute.
• Add the bacon back to the skillet along with the cooked pasta; stir/toss for about 1 minute to heat.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add in eggs and mix/whisk vigorously until the eggs thicken but do not scramble.
• Add in the Parmesan cheese.
• Season with salt and black pepper.
• Mound on serving plates then sprinkle a small amount of finely chopped fresh parsley over each bowl.
• Serve with parmesan cheese on the side.
• Serve with a glass of good red wine.

Join us next week when we be making making the Florence classic Beef Tagliata.

107 more days...

Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii
Mount Vesuvius is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the potential danger it poses to the population of 3,000,000 people living close to it. In fact, it is one of the most densely populated volcanic regions in the world and it is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption on August 24th /25th AD 79 which lasted for 19 hours and led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the death of 10,000 to 25,000 people. Pompeii was a city being rebuilt at the time of the eruption. 17 years prior, on February 5th AD62, an earthquake, believed to have magnitude 7.5, devastated the city. Temples, houses, bridges, and roads were destroyed. It is believed that almost all buildings in the city of Pompeii were affected.


Getting There
Take the Circumvesuviana rail system from Naples to Pompeii for 2 or 3 euros. Board the train at Piazza Garibaldi (roughly 1 mile from the port). Make sure you validate your ticket at the turnstyle and watch for those pickpockets. Take the Sorrento line to Pompeii Scavi/Villa dei Misteri (roughly 30 minute ride). Note: If you go to plain old Pompeii, you will be surprised to find yourself in the current city of Pompeii. Pompeii Scavi (excavation) is where the ruins are. Buses from Pompeii to Vesuvius are available for a nominal fee (roughly 9E round trip) a run every 1/2 hour until 10:30am, and then hourly beginning at 11:25am. Taxis are also available -- remember to agree/haggle the price before getting in. If you visit Vesuvius first, make sure your bus is returning to Pompeii, not Ercolano(Herculaneum). The walk from the parking lot to the crater is 20-30 minutes. Leave plenty of time to visit Pompeii. It is 164 acres!


Hours and Fees
Vesuvius
9am to 5:30pm 6.5E
You will be offered a walking stick -- a small tip is appreciated on the return.
Admission includes a compulsory guide service.

Pompeii
8:30am to 7:30pm 11E
Free map and info booklet with admission -- but you have to ask for them.

Extras
Bring water, snacks, and an umbrella -- there is no shade.
Comfortable walking shoes are a must.
Oh yeah, Spartacus camped out at the crater.

108 more days....

*Movie Review*

Just Released in Theaters!

"An ambitious young New Yorker (Kristen Bell), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of those who threw them in: a sausage magnate (Danny DeVito), a street magician (Jon Heder), an adoring painter (Will Arnett) and a self-admiring model (Dax Shepard). But when a charming reporter (Josh Duhamel) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?




The movie is centered around the "Fontana Di Amore"...although, I can not find this fountain on any map of Rome (it was built for the film in piazza borghese; that's Hollywood!...they take the magic of the Trevi Fountain, construct a fantasy fountain and add a twist!) The movie got luke warm reviews, at best, but I'd still like to see it...(yea, it's a cheesy "chick-flick")...just to get a peak at the sites in Rome...although Hollywood magic filmed the bulk of this box-office flop in New York City...is there a comparison to Rome?...again, that's Hollywood! Still, if we can find this fountain while we are in Rome, I'd enjoy the opportunity of tossing (or plucking) a few coins myself...after all, you never know who you might meet!...(just no fish mongers, please!)


...and here's a curious footnote...lead actress, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, the self-admiring model are recently engaged in real life!

Care to see the trailer? CLICK HERE and take a look!

Cruise along and enjoy...^_~

Karen

109 more days..

The Colosseum

The Coloseum has long been a point of interest for me, and is one of the places that I am most interested in seeing during our adventure. In fact, I am reminded of a good friend who is known to walk around saying, "I'm Spartacus!", and of his son who is a big fan of gladiator movies. But I digress. I am interested in the Colosseum because it satisfies my interests in history, aesthetics, and engineering. Let's have a closer look.

History:
Also known as 'The House that the Flavor-Flavians Built', the Colosseum was constructed for the purpose of entertainment.

• More specifically, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests, public spectacles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on classical mythology.
• The largest building of its kind in its time, the Colosseum could seat 50,000 people.
• The opening ceremonies for the Colosseum (A.D. 80), carried on for 100 days, during which time as many as 9,000 animals were slaughtered.
• The building was repurposed in the early medieval era for such purposes as housing, workshops, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Aesthetics:
What can you say? Just look at it. It's incredible.

Engineering:
While the most famous pictures of the Colosseum are those showing the structure in ruins from the exterior, to know what it looked like in the day is amazing. Of particular note:

• The Original Superdome - The Colosseum had a retractable canvas awning, known as the velarium, that kept the sun and rain off spectators. 
• Fill 'er up - According to ancient accounts, it was possible to rapidly flood the arena, presumably via connection to a nearby aqueduct. This allowed simulated sea battles to be conducted for the audiences. (I wonder if they had trout fishing...)
• Facility Operations - Drinking fountains, toilet facilities, and an adequate sewer system to dispose of the waste products of hundreds of slaughtered animals (and people...). You don't want THAT backing up! This state of the art water, sewer, and drainage system was designed by the best Roman Engineers of the era.

That much said, let's not forget...

110 more days...

The Infirmary Report:
Cruisemaster & Mistress Doing Well

Ken and Cindy are both home and doing well.  Cindy has a bit of a recovery period ahead of her, but Ken is taking good care of her.  Feel free to drop them a feel-better wish in the comment section!

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The Finance Report:
KA-CHINGGG!  KA-CHING!!!

Hey, we're back!  Let's talk finances.  Regarding the strength of the $US, things just keep getting better and better.  The dollar continues to climb and is currently at its highest point since we began tracking it, which is great for us! 

CONTEST UPDATE:

Karen is in the lead!

And while anything can happen in the next 110 days, as of today Karen has the closest guess to the actual exchange rate.  The winner of our contest (Grand Prize = 1 euro!) will be the one with the closest guess on May 21st, 2010.  Because of the excitement that our cruisemaster and cruisemistress had to go through over the past few days, I have extended the period to submit thier entries, if they are intersted.

And if you are wondering who OMPC is, well that's our new friend from the One Million Post Cards Blog! 

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THE WEB REPORT:

 It's a small world...

We added a few more countries this week, including Columbia and Pakistan! 

It kind of makes you wonder where Ken and Cindy might take us for 'The Old Folks 100th Year Wedding Anniversary Cruise'!  The possibilities are endless!  But that's a whole other blog.

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FREE Postcards!

And finally, our offer remains open to anyone in the world who wants to receive a FREE postcard from the cast of Operation: Poisson Rouge during our European adventure.  Please click on the 'contact me' button below, and make your request.  There are 4 more postcards requests available, each to be filled free of charge!

Postcard #1: One Million Postcards

Postcard #2 - #5: Still available

(Offer void to family, friends, and friends of family and friends...)

111 more days...

Ottenga bene presto, Cindy!

We interrupt our Sunday "Let's Learn Italian" lessons
for this important announcement...

Cindy and Ken were in a head-on auto accident last Thursday morning on their way to work. As you may recall, the road conditions were very treacherous in the early morning hours due to snow and icing on the roadways. Ken is said to be fine but, understandably, quite shaken up. Cindy did require several hours of surgery and is reported to be doing better and hopes to come home from the hospital in a few days. Please extend your prayers and well wishes to Cindy and Ken during this difficult time. Get well soon Cindy!...We love you!

...we now return to "Let's Learn Italian - popular curse words"...already in progress...

...so, if you really want to get their attention, I suggest you memorize these popular Italian curse words, they just might come in handy if you ever get into a situation like that!... Join us next Sunday for more "Let's Learn Italian"...


Cruise along and enjoy...^_~
Karen