Sunday, March 10, 2013

'pura vida' meets 'la dolce vita'

After bidding a sad farewell to the hammock yesterday, we took a 4-hour trip back to central Costa Rica, to a quaint town called Escazu, outside San Jose, the capital, where we'll wrap-up our journey through Costa Rica.

We arrived at our pleasant B&B, a traditional Costa Rican home, and were warmly greeted by the owners, Pilar & Xavier. After resting on yet another fabulous balcony outside our room--- this time with a comfy wicker chase lounge instead of a hammock--- we took a walk to a nearby Italian restaurant called D'Amalfi (btw, Costa Ricans seem to love Italian food!). It was different to see a menu describing Italian dishes in Spanish! Turned out the chef was Italian, from Milan, so he and Sal had a great chat at first in Spanish, until they realized they're both Italian, then it was 'parliamo Italiano'. (Sidebar: the B&B owners love to visit Italy, and they speak Italian also, so we had a lovely time chatting.)

Our dinner was fabulous, lots of vegetarian delights.... starting with a bruschetta appetizer with a local flavor twist-- a fried plantains garnish. And I had a ravioli dish that amazed! Throw in some live music, al fresco dining, and a lemon sorbet for dessert--- served in a frozen lemon rind! --- and it was a recipe for a perfect evening.

But wait, there's more! We were walking past a shop on the way back to our B&B when I spied scrapbooking supplies in the window! Get out of town! Really? Had to stop in and check it out (excuse how bedraggled I look after a long day!)... according to the clerk, scrapbooking is big here in Escazu!

Today we woke to a delightful breakfast, including Costa Rica's famous tasty coffee and fresh tropical fruit, served outdoors, before heading to a fabulous local festival for the day. More about the festival in my next post.... need rest! ... that chase lounge is beckoning!



















1 comment:

Momofboys said...

so nice you could get a slice of Italy in Costa Rica!!