FOOD

I know some of you are far more interested in the food than what route I take. Harumpf. OK, here's the scoop:

The food has been hit or miss. Not what I expected. I remember from years back how good the bread and beer were in Europe. Well, life has gotten much better in the States, I guess.
The beer is universally good, but I haven't found many outstanding darker (porter) beers, and the paler beers aren't any better than many American microbrews. More powerful, of course, butt I'm looking for the great flavor that I remember. Maybe my taste buds are getting old, or maybe I prefer the Northern European brews. I'll keep looking. Wine - I've had a couple of mediocre glasses, but most has been excellent. I mean, cheap house wines that are great. Whites and reds, I don't bother looking for labels. There are far too many to keep track of, and besides, I have no idea what I'm drinking, but the local stuff is delicious. I think I paid 4E for a half liter carafe in a restaurant.
Bread - another shock. I think I start too late in the morning. By the time I get to the shop, all they have left is bland white bread. It's all better than typical American bread, but I'm used to the French Gourmet baguettes and country bread and Whole Foods loaves. I KNOW there's great bread to be had, and I've got to look harder.
I'm going to forget the fried fish basket I had last night in Rimini. I should have known - a tourist spot by the pier, and the fried fish basket with grilled veggies was overcooked, bland and poorly served. There have been enough other good meals to remember. I had the BEST ravioli in my life - in Germany. Chervil, padano cheese, pine nuts and mushrooms. Wow! And the pizza and spaghetti is outstanding. I had an asparagus pizza that was amazing. And the broiled shrimp and calamari skewers I had a couple of days ago were pretty damn tasty. Then there was the "blue" trout I had in Switzerland. I don't know what it means to cook something "blue," but it was sure tasty.
As for the sweet tooth - yeah. Pastries are the best. And the best local meeting spots are gelatarias. Yum.

Ok. That'll have to tide you over til I eat more. Oh, except for brekkie. Breakfast in the youth hostels is great. A buffet of yoghurt, cereal, bread, cheese, butter, jam, coffee, juice, fruit, and more. heh heh heh. Yeah, food's OK here.