Europe in your own backyard...
 

When you long for Europe but are in your own (non-European) town, is there a special place you go?

Here in South Florida we have Vizcaya (Italy and Spain), The Episcopal Church of Bethesda by the Sea (England and Spain), and the Norton Museum of Art (art from several nations). What about your area?

Please, Guy18, could you tell me what The Episcopal Church of Bethesda by the Sea has to do with Spain ? I'm thinking about it and I can't see the relationship :)

Kenderina--Take a look at it on their website
www.bbts.org/
It has always struck me that the architects were trying to make the English gothic style fit more organically in with Florida's landscape and history by bringing some Mediterranean/Romanesque elements to the church. I don't think it's just the bouganvilla and royal palms that are doing that, but maybe... Some of the detailing above the main doorway, if I remember correctly, seems especially Spanish. There's no good picture of this, alas...

Well, what about The Spanish Monastery?

If I want to go to Tuscany I just drive up the road to the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

I have to imagine the castles and the small villages though. We have oaks instead of cypress trees and grapes out number the olive trees by about 100,000:1

The topography is pretty close which may have been the reason I was a little underwhelmed with Tuscany.

St Augustine.San Diego.-Spanish architecture..

Well born and raised in the SF/BayArea and having lived here all my life there is nothing IMO that compares to Italy. People try but IMHO it just isn't the same, including the Napa Valley and the Sonoma area. I don't think you can duplicate an area that is in another country. IMO that even applies to restaurant. The best restaurant serving Italian style food can't duplicate the restaurants of the original country. Just my opinion and two cents worth.

Intrepid--I've never actually been to the Spanish Monastery, which is a shame since it is an ACTUAL Spanish monastery, taken apart and then reassembled in Florida. I'll go soon...

Who else? Aren't there any cafes or parks or shops where you go for a taste of the old world?

As a follow on: I've actually been to services at the Spanish Monastery and it is an interesting place of worship.

Have you been to Seville and that part of Spain? The reason I ask is because both the architecture AND the landscape of that region are very similar to that of the U.S. Southwest. I can imagine the early Spanish explorers who arrived and may very well have been reminded of home..more so than they would have been by Florida.

As to the authenticity of various foods mentioned above; IMO depends on where you live and the overall quality of the restaurants visited.

Interesting post.

Not much European feel here in central New Hampshire, however driving a few hours up to Montreal or Quebec City is like a mini European vacation.

The duPont company started here in Delaware. As the family grew, we have A LOT of French inspired homes.
We even call the Greenville and that area where all these homes are..."chateau country".
It helps my France "jones"...sometimes

Regarding the comparison of Napa/Sonoma with Tuscany:

"The topography is pretty close which may have been the reason I was a little underwhelmed with Tuscany."

That's interesting. I had visited Tuscany first which is why I guess I was always a lot underwhelmed with Napa and Sonoma.

Living in Boston, no questions asked for a full experience: MONTREAL/QUEBEC CITY area.

Locally, well, people like to say the N. End (I live there and the only European feel are the coffee shops and language...otherwise it is yuppyville).

Personally, the architecture of Boston's S. End is where I go. It a) reminds me of Brooklyn a bit (my original home) and B) was designed in the 1800's to mirror the large Parisian Blvds. many have come to love.

We live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. There is a small French restaurant where they have a fixed price menu. It's a very French country atmosphere, in an old house, owned by a French man and it's wonderful! The idea is to reserve a table and you're there for the night. It's about as close as we can get without going to France.

I just go down to the French Quarter in New Orleans--reminds me of Paris!

The Leaning Tower of Niles (Illinois).

http://gallery.ilounge.com/albums/userpics/IMG_1505.JPG

A message to kenderina (I apologize others for this personal message):
I've been following your contributions as one of the finest posters in Fodors. Whenever you decide to come to see your "old man", Matt_from_england, myself and our best halves would love to welcome you and eventually organize a Lisbon Dining Club get together :-) If you don't know what I'm talking about, check "Things to do in and around Lisbon, part 2". take care, Joao

LoveItaly,

While there is no restaurant in the world that can compare with the little family run trattoria we found in Carmagnola there are a couple of places in the Bay Area that beat the pants off of most of the Italian places we tried. La Ginestra in Mill Valley is one of them.

When I need a medieval fix I drive to The Cloisters, about forty-five minutes away. It's a peaceful spot.
Another good place is the Cathedral of St John the Divine.

The Met offers Spanish, Italian and Chinese rooms which can take you pretty far away.

Next week I'm going to the other end of the country to see the famous San Francisco and environs for the first time. Hope I get to include "Tuscany" too.

Thanks , Guy !! I can't say in that photos if it is especially Spanish but may be it is, would have some logic :) But surely it's England, looks like a mixture of different European styles, it's interesting !
We have a lot of magnolia trees here in Castellón, these came from America, didn't they ? I love them :)