Oregon’s Crater Lake: Ancient Volcano Filled With Blue, Blue Water

Crater Lake, Oregon

By Rex Bush

I grew up in Oregon but did not visit Crater Lake until I had been away for over thirty-years.  Here’s how it looked to me on my first visit  in the summer of 2007.

Salt Lake City’s Best “Fish Place”: The Red Rock Brewery

You won’t find Salt Lake City’s best fish and chips at Red Lobster.     Nor will you have to travel far from downtown to find it (or “them”, depending on which pronoun is correct here… I have no idea.)

Just a few blocks southwest of downtown in a reclaimed industrial area sits the Red Rock Brewery, which, according to my wife, (and I  can’t disagree  since our beloved Picadilly’s restaurant stopped serving its unique brand of fish and chips last year)  is now consistently delivering the best deep fried halibut in the Salt Lake Valley.

Freshness of the fresh frozen Halibut is on a par with any we had recently on a trip to the Pacific Northwest (with the possible exception of that blues restaurant on Portland’s east side [however, I must confess that my culinary sensibilities may have been unfairly swayed there by the charm and  conspicuous natural gifts of our fabulously beautiful African-American server.)

The halibut is deep fried in batter containing  beer, (commonly known as “beer batter”) but somehow that term does not do justice to this artisan-crafted,  unfiltered,  wheat ale dubbed “Hefenweizen” which has been lovingly added to the deep frying “batter”.

The house drink recommended for this entree is the “Amber Ale” and,  based on four or  five experiences with this combination,  I don’t think it can be improved on, at least not on this terrestrial sphere.

With the halibut comes a fresh, multi-colored, cabbage,  cole slaw salad which my wife won’t touch (she doesn’t eat cabbage) and a modest portion of steak fries which my wife loves but are disappointing to me as I continue to compare them to the authentic English chips  that Piccadilly’s once served.

As to appetizers,  I have been known to make an entire meal out of the mozzarella sticks and, although I can not at this time,  describe them in any minute detail,  suffice it to say that they are “really good.”

The other appetizer we have most  enjoyed at Red Rock is the “Basket of Onion Rings.”  The onions are large and fresh and the batter, I believe, is something akin to what is also slathered upon the, by now well known,  deep fried halibut.

Staff are friendly and professional.   Our personal favorite (we always have one) is Sandra, an attractive young   immigrant from Brazil,  who still speaks with a slight accent, giving her, from my viewpoint, a slightly exotic flair.   Fortunately for all of us here in Salt Lake City she brought with her from her native land all of that country’s love for life,  and a friendly disposition.

Management is noticeably  active in  supervising  the restaurant.

Red Rock has won many awards, a complete summary of which  may be found at their website,  which is appropriately named redrockbrewing.com.

Cinque Terre: Italy’s Picturesque Northern Coast

Cinque Terre, Italy

By Rex Bush

The Cinque Terre  (pronounced CHEEN-kweh TEHR-reh) is an eleven mile stretch of steep, rocky coastline on the oh-so-blue Tyrrhenian sea in northeast Italy.

Cinqueterre, which means “five lands” in Italian, is a poetic way of describing five small villages along the world’s most picturesque sweep of ocean shore.

The cinque villagi built into the rocky hillside are Manarola, Monterosso al Mare, Riomaggiore, Corniglia and Vernazza.

You can walk from one seaside hamlet to another using century old footpaths that wind through vineyards and chestnut groves.

ITALY FOR THE PHYSICALLY FIT

If you like the outdoors and are in excellent physically condition then this is the corner of Italy for you. You can hike in the green hills and swim and snorkel in the sparkling blue ocean.

A WORLD HERITAGE SITE, A NATIONAL PARK AND A MARINE PROTECTED AREA!

Because of the uniqueness of the Cinque Terre, it has been named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.   (UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.)

The area has also been designated a National Park to protect the characteristic landscape.  The Cinque Terre National Park is actively involved in recovering and maintaining abandoned terraces.

In 1997 the waters of the Cinque Terre were made a Marine Protected Area to safeguard the diverse range of animals and vegetation that are present, including several rare types of coral.

HIKING

To hike in Cinque Terre, you must get a hiking permit at one of the little booths along the hiking trails.   I recommend getting the Cinque Terre Card, a ticket that includes train travel, hiking and the bus at Corniglia.   It costs €12.- for 3 days.   Money collected will be used for wall, terrace, and trail repair.   (And you can go home knowing you made a permanent contribution to Cinque Terre society.)  You’ll get a map of the walking trails with the card, which you can also purchase at any rail station in the Cinque Terre.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The weather is pleasant and warm from Easter until the end of October.   However, if you want the place to yourself or, at least,  just you and the locals, then the best time to visit is before the tourist deluge hits in mid May or after it ends in mid September.   As Rick Steves said, “That quaint little village ain’t so quaint when the tour bus pulls up.”   Note:   Steves’ quote was modified slightly by this writer because ain’t rhymes with quaint and ain’t it just a little bit better that way?.

ADVICE FROM TWO OF CINQUE TERRE’S BIGGEST FANS

Here’s advice from Adrian who maintains a popular Cinque Terre website:

“I recommend taking the local train to Monterosso and walking to the next two or three towns.  The hike is steep and rugged at first but gets better as you get past town #3.  [Whew!  I'm tired already]  The walk from Manarola (#4) to Riomaggiore (#5) is really easy.   [It's about time.]  There are daily boat trips from Monterosso along the coast, stopping at some of the villages.   Make sure you catch it before the last one of the day leaves.   [Now that's some good travel advice!] Even if you miss it you can still take the train back.   [Good to have a back up plan.])  Take the boat all the way to Portovenere and get the bus to La Spezia.”

Thanks Adrian!

Dan Wood wrote: “My overall description of Cinque Terre: Vertical towns.   Expect a cardiovascular workout; this is not a town for people who spend all their time in a car or on the sofa.   [That would be moi.]  There is also a scuba diving operation in Riomaggiore.”

Personally, I’ll skip the scuba and head straight for the trattoria.

And thank you Dan!

TOURIST OFFICE

For more useful information about the area visit The Cinque Terre tourist office in Monterosso al Mare,
in Piazza Colombo.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

John Vittoe, Paul Sullivan, Dan Wood and Adrian Vingreyerz for their contributions that made this post possible.

Utah injury attorney Rex Bush spent two years in Italy back in the 70s and continues to explore his love for that land by returning often, continuing to study Italian to maintain fluency and by reading and writing about Lo Stivale (the boot).

Rex is also webmaster of  Utah-Personal-Injury-Attorney.com.   Click here Utah Injury Attorney to visit that site and access  articles on injury law.

Italy, Lake Country, Lake Garda: Remains of Roman Poet’s Villa

Italy, Lake Garda, Lake Country

Le Grotte di Catullo (literally the grottoes of Catullus) are the remains of a large Roman villa, located on the south end of Lake Garda, whose beauty was lauded by the Roman poet Catullus.

Gaius Valerius Catullus or, Caullus, as he is known in the English speaking world, was a Roman poet who lived during the first century B.C., spending most of his life in the city of Rome.

His poetry marked a departure from the classical poetry of the likes of Homer and other fabled Greek poets, and although it was not popular with politicians of the day (such as Cicero) it was popular with the common folk and was inspirational to later Roman poets such as Ovid, Horace and Virgil.

“Grotte” is plural for the Italian word “grotta” which literally means “cave” or “grotto”. The term was used in the Renaissance (1300s – 1500s) to describe buried and collapsed structures, covered by vegetation.

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and is located in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy northwest of the city of Verona (where Romeo and Juliet fell in love) about half-way between Venice and Milan. (You may have glimpsed Verona from the train on your first day in Italy as you made your way from Milan to Venice).

The lake was formed by glaciers at the end of the last ice age (about 10,000 years ago). It is a major tourist destination, with a number of hotels and resorts along its shore.

Here is one of the poems of Catullus:

Catullus 51

That fellow seems to me to be equal to a god,
That fellow, if it is proper, to surpass the gods,
Who sitting opposite you repeatedly
Sees you and hears you

Laughing sweet, which in my wretched state steals
All sense from me: for as soon as I looked upon
You, Lesbia, no voice (nothing of voice) remained for me
upon my mouth

My tongue grows numb, A thin flame
Seeps beneath my limbs, my ears ring
With their own sound, my eyes are covered
With twin night.

Leisure, Catullus, is bothersome to you:
In leisure you exult too much and without restraint:
Leisure has ruined both former kings
And cities once wealthy.

While in Italy, be sure to visit Lake Garda and don’t forget to pay your respect to Catullus and his grotto.

BYLINE:
Article provided by Rex Bush, webmaster of Utah-Personal-Injury-Attorney.com. Click here Utah Injury Attorney to access articles on injury law.

Utah injury attorney Rex Bush spent two years in Italy back in the 70s and continues to explore his love for that land by returning often, continuing to study Italian to maintain fluency and by reading and writing about Lo Stivale (the boot).