Saturday, October 13th, 2007
The next morning Katie and her Mum were off to Pisa for their 7 day cooking school in Tuscany. Interestingly enough, our flight to Pisa, Italy took a detour to Bologna, Italy, and to this day we’ll never know why…. The flight attendant said there was an ‘air strike,’ while the pilot said there was an ‘air show’…. Needless to say, we arrived 2 hours after schedule to be met by Luigi.
He took us on a 45 minutes drive from Pisa to the hills of Lucca where we met the 9 others for our cooking school at Selva. Everyone but us was from Rochester, NY, and we were looking forward to our adult ‘summer camp’ of eating, drinking and making new friends.
The property was over 500 years old, and Paula, our host living in Lucca for over 9 years is originally from Colorado (as her license plate in Italy still shows). Our unfortunate, high maintenance allergies allowed us to be moved from the donkey house to the ‘casetta’ which was a separate house 5 minutes UP the road. Our housemates were a lovely couple from Rochester, Judi and Joe, and we definitely bonded after sleeping in a 500 year old (99.9% sure haunted) Italian countryside home. The views were absolutely beautiful, and it was hard not to relax in the serene and picturesque setting.
Over the next 7 days, we learned how:
- To make Tuscan bread (which Tuscans eat with every meal over 7 days) in a wood fired oven
- To use an Italian washing machine
- The medieval town of Lucca was always so wealthy, that they hired others to come in and fight their wars for them, so they remained an independent state until Napoleon conquered them and he gave the town of Lucca to his sister
- Many people from Rochester, NY have mid-west sounding accents (we felt like we were with 11 folks from Sink’s hometown) and they wish they were ‘spastaori bianca’
- Aged balsamic Vinegar takes up to 75 years to age, so some farmers never get to taste their final product
- When children leave home, their parents will give them a small bottle of their own family’s balsamic as a ‘parting’ gift (meaning don’t come back to live at home)
- Lemoncello is really just grain alcohol and the peels of lemons, that sit for several days (we made our first night and drank our last!
- Grappa comes from the condensation of heating wine (which we also made, and mom thoroughly enjoyed
- Zucchini and Eggplant are easily confused, but do not taste anything the same
- Cats are like squirrels in Italy (and other parts of Europe) and run free and wild EVERYWHERE
- Italians believe in the “slow food” movement, as well as knowing your supplier, so you are able to trace your eggs back to the farmer from a code on the box
- Lemons are all over Tuscany and were used for two main purposes: decorations and to keep good health (which some Italians believed turning into Lemoncello)
- Learned how to make homemade gnocchi (potatoes and flour) and tiramisu (old coffee, marscapone cheese, sugar and wafers)
- Italians believe in their espresso and even the ‘truck stops’ in Italy are civialized “AutoGrills” where you can have a proper espresso or cappacino
After the 7 days in Lucca, we made our way to Florence and then on to Rome, Italy. The highlight of the Florence trip was having access to Internet again (it necessary like air!) and getting to tour the “Vassari” Corridor, which is the royal gallery above the Ponte Vecchio which links the Uffutsi to the Pitti Palace. All of us got chills up our spines when we stood in the same spot as Hitler did during his VIP tour of the royal gallery. He loved the view and the bridge so much, he ordered to have all but the Ponte Vecchio destroyed during WWII. All of the paintings in the corridor were portraits of the royal family’s friends, since they were not able to take photographs. We also learned that the more “Royal” you were, the less you wore shoes, and that 16th century painters were very religious which is why their art has so many religious undertones.
Back in Scotland….Dermot’s next three days were followed by lots of golfing, sleeping, eating and more golfing. Luckily, the Old Course starter’s house was only 4 blocks away, so Dermot was able to get in line to golf quickly. The first tee times available this time of year were 8:00 a.m. However, much like Dermot is accustomed; many of the die hards were out way before 8am waiting in line. The “Wake up – Golf – Eat – Drink – Sleep” theme sums up my entire stay in Scotland, so here is a quick summary of the rest of my time there:
Saturday
- When the Links Clubhouse opened at 7:30 a.m., Dermot bought a 3-day golf pass. Dermot’s first course was the “New Course” (which was built in 1868).
- As there are no tee times on the New Course, Dermot tried to get paired up with other two-somes and three-somes. Dermot was lucky enough to get paired up with a local Scottish couple.
- 3 holes into Dermot’s round he eagled a par 5. He considered calling it a day right there, but played on and shot a 40 on the front and a 45 on the back. Not a bad start.
- After one round of 18, Dermot went to get a second tee-time at the Jubilee Course. Dermot was lucky again to get to play with a local, Stuart, knew the course well and told many good stories.
- After playing well and shooting a 91, Stuart invited Dermot to the St. Andrews Gold Club (members only) where Tom Morris fell down the stairs and broke his neck (I think whiskey may have played a role). Stuart treated Dermot to a pint and dinner and wished me luck on the rest of our trip. He said Dermot was not like most Americans he has met a St. Andrews, which he assured Dermot was a compliment.
Sunday
- Played New Course (shot a 91) with two locals (Neil and ?) – Neil noticed a problem with my swing and helped cure a sudden bout with the “shanks”
- Played Jubilee Course (shot an 85) with three caddies (Fruity, Steve and Frank)
- Ate haggis at a local pub and drank a few pints
- Watched NFL at the hostel (thank you satellite television)
Monday
- Slept in a bit and teed off on the Jubilee course at 9 a.m. with a Canadian man and Irish man, both pursuing a masters degree at St. Andrews University
- Shot a 95, didn’t hit the ball well
- Had dinner (chili and french fries) with my playing partners at local pub
- Got haircut at the barber’s pole in St. Andrews
Tuesday
- Got in line for Old Course at 6:45 a.m. Ended up 14th in line, but didn’t tee off until 12:05 p.m. with Scott, Paula and Graham
- To make a long story short, Dermot played some of his worst golf in a long time. However, it all faded away when he got to #18.
- With a crowd of locals watching from the street, he hit a 270 yard drive right down the middle of the fairway. Then a hit a 65 yard bump and run 7-iron about 15 feet behind the hole. The people watching applauded. He walked up to the green and got ready for his birdie putt.
- One of his playing partners missed his long putt and then came up behind Dermot and said, “It’s a lot harder to hit a putt with so many people watching” Just what he needed, more pressure.
- Despite his nerves, he walked up to the putt and drained the putt for birdie which was answered my yells and applause from the about 30 people watching on the street.
What a great way to end his golf experience at St. Andrews
Unfortunately, Dermot started to get sick and had to fly back to Ireland on Wednesday with a full blown sinus infection. He spent the next 5 days with his uncles in Ballinagare, playing local golf courses and visiting with his old Irish friends.
Some of the highlights from Ireland are listed below:
- Helped his uncles with feeding the cattle, this one wouldn’t drink until the cameras were turned off
- Golf course in Castlerea, where the greens fees were 20 euro and placed in an “honesty” box. Dermot almost had a hole in one on #2
- Golf course at Rosses Point, in County Sligo, where Dermot ended up playing with Jimmy and Dermot. Yes, I played with another man named Dermot
- Helped his uncles with a pregnant cow, and between 2 hour checks, the calf was born! We got to help the calf, show it how to drink milk and help out the cow
- Golf club Ballahadreen with Michael Mulleady, where the 9th green had roosters on it
- Dermot made dinner for his uncles consisting of: lamb chops, potatoes, corn and soup, which they were very impressed with his skills
- Watched the Rugby World Cup with Ultan, where South Africa beat England in a close match, and Dermot actually learned the rules of the game
- Poker game with the lads at Paul Cummins house, where Dermot finished 4th out of 6 people
Day 70-72: Rome, Italy: Dermot and Katie arrive in rome…at separate times