EuroTour 2010, Day 12, Rimini

Once again we are delighted to have a day without an agenda.  We began with the hotel's complimentary breakfast, and I will spare you another picture of eggs, bacon, and fruit.  However, Barbie was delighted by the boy triplets sounding like a small army next to us.  She borrowed the iPhone and tried to get a picture of them together, but as they are around two years old and boys, they never sat still long enough for her to get a picture.

This is the only picture where all three are visible.  The other pics always feature one child moving so fast that he is a streak.  Sure, that would be a cool picture to share, but this is the picture that allows you to see all three wearing their identical clothes, which is scientifically proven to be the cutest pic possible.

We met up with Michelle and Georgia at breakfast, and the four of had no hesitation deciding to spend our day on the beach.  This is Rimini after all; one of the top beach spots in all of Europe.  In fact, Georgia's German friends say things to her like, "Rimini?  That's where I went every summer my entire childhood."  In fact, wikipedia states, "It is probably the most famous seaside resort on the Adriatic Riviera."  So there.

The Grand Hotel Rimini's beach area.  I am wondering if there is any way to describe the Adriatic Riviera to you that is at all believable.  The beach is made of the finest sand I have ever seen.  So fine that it feels more like dust on your feet than coarse sand.  And the coastline is 90 km.  That is 56 miles.  If you are from Southern California, can you imagine one continuous beach from Santa Monica to Newport?  It is absurd.  Yet that is what they have on Adriatic, 56 miles of sand along a warm body of water, tucked safely away from the Atlantic's chill by Italia's boot.

My lounge chair.  Would you not want to see it?  

My feet have been to the Adriatic Riviera.  (Georgia's cap and a sunglassed Michelle make an appearance here.)

I stand in the water and show you that the Grand Hotel Rimini is right THERE.  You might be saying to yourself, that water is not exactly crystal blue.  There is a reason.

People as far as the eye can see, walking and swimming, stirring the fine sand into the water.  You cup the water in your hands and it is perfectly clear.  You stir up the sand at the bottom and the water becomes sand colored.

For the record, the Rimini locals we dined with last night told me that the water is clear blue during off season, but when the season begins and hundreds of thousands run into the sea, the sand stirs up and the blue disappears.

This panorama will look like nothing unless you right-click-open-new-window it and take a close look.  As far as the eye can see you have people and hotels.  I did some very rough math, and estimated in our part of the beach there are 40 lounge chairs per 10 meters.  (Mind you, we are the Grand Hotel Rimini section where the chairs are less crammed.)  Take that as capacity for 4 people per meter, and the Adriatic Riviera can accommodate 360,000 people at once, laying back in a lounge chair.

The entire population of St. Louis, Missouri could lay down in lounge chairs on the Adriatic Riviera, each St. Louisian in his or her own chair, no need to share.  Mind boggling numbers.  And I remind you that the chairs are probably denser where the cost is less.  The entire Adriatic Riviera might be able to host 500,000 at one time.  Now we are close to talking about the people of Atlanta, Georgia all laying in chairs along the same stretch of beach.

I could not deiced which foot picture to share;  I share both.

We strolled over to the buffet lunch.  Having a buffet filled with fruits and meats a few hundred feet from the coastline was, how you say, very nice.

By late afternoon Babrie and I headed back to the hotel.  It would seem like a nice time of day to take some pictures of this landmark.  Yes, landmark.  Who knew?  Our hotel is famous and historic enough to have its own wikipedia page.

The hotel garden.  Note the circles; they come next.

Cute, no?   

Barbara shows you the not-latest in classical hotel architecture.  It is "not-latest" because they built this place in 1908, and apparently there were two huge domes that were destroyed in a 1920 fire and then never replaced.  Then it was badly damaged during World War II, to be reconstructed in the 1950's.  

If you feel like it, go ahead and look at this hotel as a metaphor for Europe itself.  They took a place with ancient history dating back to 300 BCE, built into something beautiful and modern, nearly destroyed it with a war or two, and then rebuilt it to be beautiful again.

After time for working and showering in the room, we prepare to head out to dinner.  We have no idea where we are going.  We are in our car with Georgia and Michelle following Franco driving Livinia's car with Sean & Lon in the back.  Dinner for eight is in motion.

Sometimes I like shots that come out like this.  We were driving for quite a while.  We had been told dinner was 20 minutes away, but these were minuti Italiano.  After 20 minutes, I spotted a castle on a hill very far away.  We had been told we would be eating near a castle.  I had a hunch.  Signs telling us that Verucchio lay ahead were another hint.

We draw closer to this castle, which happens to be Verucchio's Rocca Malatestiana; aka Castel del Sasso, or  Castle of the Rock.  It is a 12th century castle.  In Italiano terms, that is pretty new.  And, as it turned out, the 20 minuti Italiano to get to the hotel were 45 American minutes.

Walking the streets of Verucchio, up to our dinner.

Would I walk into a bathroom stall to see a porcelain hole in the floor and not share it with you?

The restaurant is Il Carni, and Franco handled the ordering. Thusly, we expect a lot of meat.

A plate of meats.  For those of you who think of me as, shall we say, a bit uncouth, I tell you this; not once did I mention the meats of Parma.  I stayed quiet, being a gracious guest in this restaurant.

Pasta with mushrooms and sausages.

Classic bolognese linguine.

A plate of pork.  Everything you see, it is from the pig.

A t-bone.  The cow, she has not been ignored.

The plate of vegetables.  Note that there is not much green.  I love that fried potatoes count as vegetables here.

Il dolci.  

More dolci.  The profiteroles were my absolute favorite, thought the flan and tiramisu were excellent as well.  I am forced to recall my dear friend Dave Keller's quest a few decades ago to order tiramisu in every restaurant in San Francisco.  When we are old or when one of us wins the lottery, I want to take Dave on a tour of Italia's tiramisu.

After dessert we were given these little chocolate covered ice creams.  We were also given grappa and Moscatel dessert wines.

The castle from its side.  They only light up the side that faces the town.  This is the closest I could get for you.  I quite like the lens flare.

Our Volvo parked in the Verucchio town center.

Time to head back to the hotel.  At the end of another four hour dinner beds await.