Wow, it has been a long time! Between busy schedules, lack of internet, and lack of a computer these blogs are slacking. I guess they don't just write themselves. Where to start? How about a brief summer of my comings and goings.
It all started when I got back to the US, after oh 3 flights and a hotel room. Stefano came in just a few days after me so it was busy busy trying to see all my friends and what not before he arrived. Celebration station, mexican food, and family all had their places in my schedule. In the airport waiting on Stefano I even ran into an old friend!
So there I was with my Italian Stallion sign at the terminal when Stefano walks out with my dad. My dad had come in on an earlier flight and waited on the inside for him. We then immediately headed to the bar so I could introduce him to come of my closest friends. The next day we headed to the farm where the highlight was feeding the cows. (literally ask Stefano what his favorite thing was!)
After that it was Route 66 to Springfield, Missouri for my aunt's birthday. Needelss to say, the Treadwell's showed everyone in a 6 block radius what a party should be. Karaoke and dancing filled the night. The morning after was hearty breakfasts for all and Iowa City for Stefi and I with a brief stop in St Louis where my national park bosession began. (You'll here more about this later)
I won't go into much detail about Iowa City, its a typical college town. It does have the charm of a small town because all of the big businesses are banned to suburbs. My first weekend there was spent with surprise surprise... Stefano. Gen had ditched plans with me for plans with her sister so Stefano and I went to Minneapolis. (Gen I'm just giving you a hard time, please don't cry. ;o) ) Minneapolis was neat and he had worked there for a few months about five years ago so we went to mingle with all colleagues and the possibility of future bosses. We did the super touristy Mall of America with a lunch date at Bubba Gump's... don't be jealous! Overall it was a really cool city!
The next weekend was Chicago with my folks. Turns out all of CIMBA was in Chicago too. Great minds.... or something like that. LOL. Cubs game, Wrigleyville, Navy Pier, and The Taste were all just a part fo that 4 day adventure. I'll be back Chicago, with more money!
CIMBA's final weekend was spent by most in Iowa City, but that is not how Gen and I roll. We packed our bags and headed to Milwaukee. Which, by the way, is like the best city. Between the amazing cruises we didn't get to do and the brew tours and the cheese, I could spend an entire week and love every moinute of it, with plenty of naps of course (you would know that if you travel with me). We closed Wolski's, made a beer pour friend, and found out that America's largest French festival isn't so French. All in all, amazing!
Finally, came our fancy "dinner" at the president's suite overlooking the field (too bad it was from like the 30 yard line...), graduation dinner, and graduation. It was bitter sweet because I'm leaving so much, I just trust that in the end I'm gaining more. In the words of a wise classmate, I can only hope to learn more than the sum of the classes.
I'll write about my post grad journey soon... maybe tonight! If you're lucky!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Last days in Asolo
So I am one of the only ones left and I was getting very bored. I can only pack for so long, ya know? I was really getting down that I was wasting my last days here. Then last night and today happen.
Yesterday I got back to my apt after a few hours in the computer lab talking to my parents and what not, feeling miserable from not eating a one too many mojitos for James' last night in town, when my phone rings.
Its Jayme so I meet him and KJ at epoca where I eat and KJ decides to cook that night. We had a delicous salad and chicken parmisan. It was a great night and just what I needed.
THEN it gets better. Today she took me to the Crespano market (where I've wanted to go all year but was busy every Sunday), to Bassano to have the kebabs from the shop where the owner went to OSU in Stillwater (also wanted to go here all year but didn't get the chance), and finally to Canova's Temple (I think you're getting the picture). And tonight I have dinner with my friend Anna and Giampietro! I feel so much better about my last few days!
Tomorrow I could even go to the beach if I wanted, but I don't know how the handing off of the keys to my landlord will be arranged yet. :/
OK, now I'm really getting off of here! Ciao and see you soon!!
Yesterday I got back to my apt after a few hours in the computer lab talking to my parents and what not, feeling miserable from not eating a one too many mojitos for James' last night in town, when my phone rings.
Its Jayme so I meet him and KJ at epoca where I eat and KJ decides to cook that night. We had a delicous salad and chicken parmisan. It was a great night and just what I needed.
THEN it gets better. Today she took me to the Crespano market (where I've wanted to go all year but was busy every Sunday), to Bassano to have the kebabs from the shop where the owner went to OSU in Stillwater (also wanted to go here all year but didn't get the chance), and finally to Canova's Temple (I think you're getting the picture). And tonight I have dinner with my friend Anna and Giampietro! I feel so much better about my last few days!
Tomorrow I could even go to the beach if I wanted, but I don't know how the handing off of the keys to my landlord will be arranged yet. :/
OK, now I'm really getting off of here! Ciao and see you soon!!
Italy, always in my memories
I have been having so many mixed emotions as the end of my experience here is coming to an end. I know the saying is when one door closes, another one opens. That's just hard to grasp right now with me returning with no idea what I want to do with my life after this. I know I'll land on my feet. As my dad told me yesterday, "You're a survivor" and with those words I can look back on how far I've come and be thankful for the opportunities afforded to me. I know that I am incredibly lucky to have been accepted into the program and had the courage to leave my family for an extended period of time. It was so hard at times, and I would love to say that it got easier with time (and some parts did) but there is always something going on where you feel pulled or tested in who you are and where you are. I know my journey is not done but this adventure is - as of Tuesday anyway.
But before its done I will tell you about some things I have done since my last blog. I can't quite remember where I left off, but I'm pretty sure I should start with the prosecco festival in Susegana. Its a town with a breath taking castle that boasts even more breath taking views. IOt hosts one of the largest prosecco festivals. My friend Roby said that if you are any one in the prosecco industry you are in this festival. It was nuts how many stands they had giving away free tastes! It was $15 at the door plus a 5$ deposit for your glass. Being there with so many locals and experiencing that was one of my favorite times in Italy. Direstly after the festival we had to go to the CIMBA BBQ where we met all the newbies (summer students) for the first time. This is like right after we had to move out. There are lots from Oklahoma... WAHOO!
Skipping some time and we land in Malta.... I'm sure there's a million things that went on between the prosecco festival and Malta but I dont have my planner with me to check. Oh well. Gen and I escaped to this beautiful, rocky island country where the movie Popeye was filmed. This place is dirt cheap, covered with people from all over Great Britain, and has ruins the predate Stonehenge. What more could you want?! We both burnt the first day on the tour bus, but we did lay out that day in the Golden Bay. It gets its name because it is one of the only sandy beaches in Malta. If you're there, take the blue lagoon ride from Charlie. They have the most turquoise beautiful water I have even seen. We also stumbled into a drag show that was really funny followed by equally comical karaoke. Our four star hotel left some ot the imagination but for just over $20 USD a night we weren't complaining, that badly. We ate seafood and and snails and all sorts of fun things. The people were so nice! We found a local pub that isn't very touristy and hung out nearly the whole of one night. Overall it was an amazing trip!
The following weekend I went to Florence with Stefano. We rented scooters and drove all through Tuscany. IT was the neatest thing being able to go on all these tiny roads that cars couldn't fit. I was on a scooter for like 15 hours. My poor legs were weak for days! Outside of San Gimignano we stopped at a little cantina where I bought two bottles of wine. One will be coming hone with me, the other didn't make it. I saw much more of Florence this time around so I feel like I can officially say I have visited it! We went to so many little towns and explored that I can't remember their names. Grrr. In Tuscany they don't salt their breads because of a tiff when there was still a salt trade and the tradition holds! OH and I have a rucola pesto gnocchi dish that was absolutely amazing in one little town. It was called Cantina de Nonna... grandpa's cantina. Loved it! Went to Fiesole to end that night with the fiortina steak. Better than the one I had with my dad. Fiesole is a suburb of Florence and it a must see. The little trattoria we ate at was lovely and we missed the sunset over the hills by all of five minutes, but we did get sneaky photos where it look like we made it! :D
Anyway, I've been on here too long and I need to go weigh my suitcases to see what else I need to give away to make weight. :(
But before its done I will tell you about some things I have done since my last blog. I can't quite remember where I left off, but I'm pretty sure I should start with the prosecco festival in Susegana. Its a town with a breath taking castle that boasts even more breath taking views. IOt hosts one of the largest prosecco festivals. My friend Roby said that if you are any one in the prosecco industry you are in this festival. It was nuts how many stands they had giving away free tastes! It was $15 at the door plus a 5$ deposit for your glass. Being there with so many locals and experiencing that was one of my favorite times in Italy. Direstly after the festival we had to go to the CIMBA BBQ where we met all the newbies (summer students) for the first time. This is like right after we had to move out. There are lots from Oklahoma... WAHOO!
Skipping some time and we land in Malta.... I'm sure there's a million things that went on between the prosecco festival and Malta but I dont have my planner with me to check. Oh well. Gen and I escaped to this beautiful, rocky island country where the movie Popeye was filmed. This place is dirt cheap, covered with people from all over Great Britain, and has ruins the predate Stonehenge. What more could you want?! We both burnt the first day on the tour bus, but we did lay out that day in the Golden Bay. It gets its name because it is one of the only sandy beaches in Malta. If you're there, take the blue lagoon ride from Charlie. They have the most turquoise beautiful water I have even seen. We also stumbled into a drag show that was really funny followed by equally comical karaoke. Our four star hotel left some ot the imagination but for just over $20 USD a night we weren't complaining, that badly. We ate seafood and and snails and all sorts of fun things. The people were so nice! We found a local pub that isn't very touristy and hung out nearly the whole of one night. Overall it was an amazing trip!
The following weekend I went to Florence with Stefano. We rented scooters and drove all through Tuscany. IT was the neatest thing being able to go on all these tiny roads that cars couldn't fit. I was on a scooter for like 15 hours. My poor legs were weak for days! Outside of San Gimignano we stopped at a little cantina where I bought two bottles of wine. One will be coming hone with me, the other didn't make it. I saw much more of Florence this time around so I feel like I can officially say I have visited it! We went to so many little towns and explored that I can't remember their names. Grrr. In Tuscany they don't salt their breads because of a tiff when there was still a salt trade and the tradition holds! OH and I have a rucola pesto gnocchi dish that was absolutely amazing in one little town. It was called Cantina de Nonna... grandpa's cantina. Loved it! Went to Fiesole to end that night with the fiortina steak. Better than the one I had with my dad. Fiesole is a suburb of Florence and it a must see. The little trattoria we ate at was lovely and we missed the sunset over the hills by all of five minutes, but we did get sneaky photos where it look like we made it! :D
Anyway, I've been on here too long and I need to go weigh my suitcases to see what else I need to give away to make weight. :(
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Spring of Adventure
This is a summary of the highlights of my spring in Italy. It starts the week after I get back from Norway and goes through the beginning of May. I will try to post more soon, and maybe include some pics.
The Prosecco Hill, April 7, 2010
We drove to the "Prosecco Hill" to have a cheese picnic. I can't remember the actual name of the vineyard. Drove to San Stefano in the comune of Valdobbiadene (name of vineyard) to a type of Osteria Senza Oste (osteria: mostly drinking place, but serves easy to make food too; Oste is host; senza is without). The vineyard is right next to the one where Obama bought his inaugural bottle of Prosecco. Overlooking the Cartizze vineyards (very high quality prosecco only made in a small area of Valdobbiadede, a DOCG (Denomincazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)) vineyards. We brought the following cheeses for our picnic: Piave fresco, Talleggio, Pecorino Sardo (fresh), Gorgonzola, and a smelly soft French cheese (of the same consistency as Brie), and a bottle of Chianti. In the little “shop without a host” we bought the sopressa (type of salame local to the Veneto) and we could have bought some home-made cartizze... this was later offered to us by an Italian family that could not finish theirs.
Frank Baracca's family is who gave Ferrari their family emblem... which just so happened to be a prancing horse...
Etiquette and wine tasting evening, April 27, 2010
The etiquette course was quick and to the point. We took a quiz at the beginning... surprisingly I scored as one of the highest in the class, 2nd highest I think. I know, I know, you guys are all impressed. In the wine tasting that immediately followed we tasted 2 Saove (one a classic which had been rated as the 53rd best wine in the world) from a town a little to the east of Verona, some Amarone (15° alcohol content) and some Recciotto (sweet wine). Both these wines are made from fortified grapes, just the Amarone is aged in wooden casks for at least a year. I probably had some of the fanciest wine I've ever had at this tasting. I felt so classy with my plastic cup. :)
Trip to Merano, April 30-May 1, 2010
Merano, a town in the South Tyrol Dolomiti. It’s a medium sized city by Italian standards and very German (the locals use german as the first language, but they all know how to speak italian). The region is famous for (besides the mountains, the wines (eg. The gewurtztramminer) and apples) the Sissi castles and the Thermal baths. We didn't do the thermal baths due to a miscommunication... I will try one out before I leave though! We stayed at the Westend: good deal, with a balcony in the room and breakfast in the garden. They even had free use of their bikes: awesome! I hadn't ridden a bike since Denmark and before that it had been YEARS! Interesting: the amount of flowers (which were so bright and absolutely beautiful!!), number of castles (they were nestled all in the hills), cycling and walking trails. Awesome!!! Great having a rest along one the cycling tracks (after hard day’s workout) with a view of the Roman bridge and drink a beer in a biergarten. Food of interest: Knederly in beef broth (they're like dumplings), and some other very good Austrian dish made with boiled beef (probably the one that made the broth), and some pork medallions with cream asparagus; we found this place as almost the last resort, but it had a wonderful internal garden.
Second day we took the bikes for half the day and rode to some castle with a large flower garden (too many oldies to go inside and it was really pricey for a botanical garden) and then we tried to go to another castle on the outskirts. Unfortunately there was no large non-state road to get there, so we went via the side rods: up hill!!!!! I'm not talking any hill... this was a wine hill with gravel, SO we had to push the bikes up a gravel path. I was so tired, but so proud of myself for making it the whole two days without being a big whine bag. After we returned the bikes we had a light lunch of curry wurst (German sausage with ketchup and curry powder) then walked up and down the hills for hours! We decided to leave and have dinner in back in Asolo. I would highly recommend this city to visit and I would/will go back.
Random occurances with no date in particular:
Made white Bassano asparagus risotto: 600g of Bassano asparagus, then dry white wine, risotto, vegetable broth and parmiggiano. The asparagus was peeled and the heads were broken off. It was my first time to peel asparagus... made it much easier to eat! They were placed in the pot to cook just before the rice (no need to boil them before that). The broth cooked on the side, but before that the rice was added, toasted slightly and the prosecco was added. Remember to add salt! It was SO good. I've made it twice. Next on my risotto list to make is porcini (mushroom) risotto.
We went to Conegliano one night. We went to the castle... which was walls and a small tower, not as impressive as some of the others I've seen. Nonetheless, we had a spritz and looked at the view up there before heading into town to explore the center. We walked around for a bit, small center, but still very cool. Next was dinner, we went to I Templari to have “spicy” chicken: it has a medieval theme. Good German beer, and the chicken was served without any knives and forks. It was a mess to eat! Italians have no idea about making things spicy. It was yummy still!
More to come and thanks for being patient with this posting. Love you guys!!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Spring Break
Hey-O!
Well Spring Break is now long gone and I'm back from Norway. It was SO much fun... I want to go back. Everything had art on it even a drainage ditch has swirling lines like water made of cement. The bridges had copper diver statues attached to their suspending lines. It was crazy!
We only had a day and a half there. The first day was clear and decently warm. I wore my coat unbuttoned. We decided on a quick lunch so we could see more of the city. We stopped at a small sandwich place along Johan's Gate (which is the main pedestrian street) and grabbed a bite. Man did we luck out! It was really good! Some kind of curry chicken with a green minced herb and garlic spread plus cucumber sauce! Little did we know, but Norwegians love sauces and gravies on everything! We then went and checked into the hotel. I would recommend it to anyone. They were like apartments and super nice and modern. MyCityHome was the name.
We walked around for hours and turns out we saw most of the sites along the coast... we know this because we looked at a flyer for a mini cruise, which is just a sightseeing ship, and we had seen nearly all of the things! We ended up spending too much time just wandering around and it was like 9 before we even started looking for a place to eat dinner. We decided on an Indian restaurant. Note: Norway is known for other people's food. They have all sorts of International restaurants. The Indian food was amazing. Stefano said it was the best he'd had.... for me as well, although I'm sure he's had it a lot more than me!
The next day the weather was miserable but we braved it anyway. We went to the Viking museum. I went to one when I spent the summer in Denmark, but this one has better preserved ships. That was pretty cool. We then decided to have lunch at a place we found in one of the guide books... it was the only meal was merely okay. Stupid guide books. We then tried to find this park with sculptures of people... well we found a fun bar instead and had some sort of Norwegian liquor that gets shipped down to the equator and back in oak barrels before its served. It was really good. We then found a place for dinner and had reindeer burgers!! Reindeer is a customary food in Norway. It was delicious. We went to the restaurant before the park because the bartender didn't know if they were still serving food, I guess Norwegians also eat early, so we decided to test our luck. THEN we made our way to the creepiest park ever. There was no one around and these sculptures were all naked people! Some were erotic and some were of children. In the center there was a tower of people piled on each other. I got freaked out and wanted to leave so we did. This is like 12 or 1 in the morning and it turns out there are no night buses or subways at night on the weekdays. We hopped a cab and went back to the hotel to sleep for an hour before we had to get up to catch our 4 oclock bus to the airport.
AFTER all of this and napping on the plane we decided to go skiing for a half day so I could say I've been skiing in the Italian alps... which are called the Dolomites or Dolomiti. The weather turned out to be bad... I'm talking like blizzard can't see in front of you bad so we just went down three slopes. The first one I was good. I did way better than Stefano... Then something happened. He got really good and I fell like 6 times! Ugh. Anyway, it was a blast. We tried to go to this nice restaurant he's been telling me about where the snow mobile picks you up from designated parking and pulls you to the restaurant. Then after you eat you sled back down the mountain!! I wanted to go so bad but his car wouldn't make it up the hills required to get there. SO we had this pizza he has been talking about.... yeah a lot of my conversations revolve around food. lol. It was yummy although it wasnt sledding down a mountain yummy. Oh well.
After that I spent a night in Asolo before heading to Padova to meet a friend. Padova is known for being a university town, but it seemed pretty dead when we got there. We walked around forever and found some measly restaurant for lunch. Well a few hours later the streets were packed! I guess everyone was off having a better lunch then us outside of the center. haha.
Easter morning we went to San Antonio's Basilica. There was supposed to be a cantata service, but I guess we got our times wrong, so we listened to the entire service in Italian. It was nice to go to church on Easter though, even if it was with someone else's mom. Family is family. We had a good lunch then headed back to Asolo. The rest of the time was spent doing schoolwork. Happy day. Well that was my break!
It was awesome! but now I must go prepare for a presentation. Ciao!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Bologna.. the Fat
After much debate and anticipation about whether or not I was going to get to see my cousin's, Jennifer and Dustin, it was decided that it was just not feasible. We both had conflicting time constraints so it wouldn't work. I was bummed because its always cool to be able to see people you know on a different continent... especially family. BUT......
I had a back up plan... you see we had three days off during this time, so I was dead set on going somewhere besides Asolo. Gen and I loaded up and set off to Bologna.
Bologna is known for a few things, but the one thing we were most interested in was the FOOD! The city is nicknamed Bologna the fat. It is the home to tortellini and other delicious foods.
When we got there we walked around the center for a bit... it is also supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, but I would have to disagree. The church with the meridian line was neat and the Neptune fountain was interesting, but as for second most beautiful?... Maybe it deserves another visit.
The first night we were planning on a nice meal, too bad there was some sort of trade fair in town and every place we tried was booked. We basically got laughed at! Maybe it was because we had met up with some other CIMBA people so we were looking for a table of 7.... I don't know. We ended up at some awful pizzeria.
Anyway, so the first night wasn't so great.... BUT let me tell you about the second day. Gen and I were up early so we laid around a bit. We then went shopping where I got some new summer undershirts... mine are gross after months of use - TMI, I know! We then caught a taxi to the restaurant that a faculty member had suggested... it was closed the night before because we actually tried to book that one in advance.
Trattoria della Melancello. It was amazing! We got tortellini and gramigna (sp?) pasta... They elt us order two then split. They also did not have menus. We then had a second course of stuffed zucchini and meatballs. OMG, everything was delicious. Just that meal made up for the night before.
We then decided to find the university since its the oldest in Italy... maybe one of the oldest in the world? I forget. Little did we know that the university is scattered all over the city! We did find our way to the center building. As we were walking there, we found an Irish pub and this is St. Patty's day. So we ended up stopping on the way to leave for one beer.... well after meeting an Italian who was into Gen, speaking broken Italian for 4 hours, eating another pizza only this one was better.... we caught the last train home, barely. Good times!
Roadtrip!
What to do with a few days off and a friend's cousin in the counrty?.... Rent a car and go see her!! Gen's cousin was in Turino at an international fencing tournament.. she is the #1 fencer in Canada.. so we decided to go visit her. Mind you, this is a four hour drive and we don't have a car. Plus, we had already decided that a train just would not do.
So we rent a car under the assumption that I would drive, since I know how to drive a manual, although I hadn't done so in years...
Getting to Turino was crazy! I drove the entire time... only had a few mishaps. No wrecks... did have a leaky gas tank that we didn't know about until the drive home. The mechanics freaked us out but then I called Stefano and had him talk to them... everything worked out. We stopped off at Lake Como on the way to Turino - George Clooney has a house there. Its really pretty, but I can guarantee it'll be better in a few months. It was SO cold.
Turino is like a large colony of Sicilians, they are the forward Italians you hear about. I have never been whistled out/ talked to in a way that I'm sure they were (thank goodness I couldn't understand a lot if it) We took cabs at night bc it was so bad.
On the way back we hit massive traffic on the outskirts of Milan. What normally is a 4 hour drive took us 9 but we did eat in a town, Brescia. We found some enoteca (which is a wine bar) and they made us some food, they didn't even have a menu. It was the best pasta I've had. Artichokes and fish, but it all blended so well. YUMMY!
That's all for now folks! Love you guys!!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Valentine's Month
February has been a great time at the CIMBA house. We are all settled after all of our travels over Christmas break. As you know February is either a happy month or a deeply depressing for for most girls. I for one, have been singles for the last... oh I don't even count any more years during this romantic month. So as the 14th approached there was talk of a girls dinner where we wear black and drink wine, then we were told that we had plans.... The surprise had been set. No other clues were given. On the day of St. Valentine, we of course had class, but there was something wrong... nearly all of the guys were not in class. James, the organizer, then comes into the room and tells us all to line up.... we were excited now! The streaming trail began, all the guys had been assigned a girl to give a rose to. It was SO cute! AND they had more surprises! They cooked dinner for us, from scratch... Parmesan chicken, grilled veggies, roasted potatoes, and garlic bread. They had even bought a dessert! We were not allowed in the chicken the entire time. Such sweethearts. I also got chocolates from friends and other goodies. The day after I got cards and presents from family and friends back home!! It was the greatest Valentine's month. I call it a month because it has lasted, and I haven't even gotten my parent's stuff yet. Although, their's will probably come next month because they get behind! :)
So many people work so hard to help everyone here not feel so homesick and its so great to see that. Thank you to everyone!! Love you guys!!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Randon Photos
This is the sunset from a side window in our common area. Skipping in Trieste with Kristy. This is messing up... click on the link to see Kristy and I.
Chris' going away party...
Winter Wonderland... view from our common area window.
Tommy had a birthday PARTY!!! He's the one with the hat in the sort of center. :)
More to come later....
Saturday, January 30, 2010
La Vita e Bella
Why are people crazy?
Watched a World War II movie and ever since I heard the story of my friend's family it affects me more and more. I made it through almost the entire movie without a tear then the last 30 seconds I lost it. I haven't stopped since.
People were telling me its only a movie, but to me it represents so many lives. Man I'm a sappy girl, but you all knew that.
This movie is a beautiful story about the ultimate sacrifice.
That's all I wanted to say.
Love you guys.
Watched a World War II movie and ever since I heard the story of my friend's family it affects me more and more. I made it through almost the entire movie without a tear then the last 30 seconds I lost it. I haven't stopped since.
People were telling me its only a movie, but to me it represents so many lives. Man I'm a sappy girl, but you all knew that.
This movie is a beautiful story about the ultimate sacrifice.
That's all I wanted to say.
Love you guys.
25 beers for 25 years
Well its been a while and I'm sorry. I have been busy busy with school. BUT I have had some time to explore and celebrate with my friends here....
We had a day off a while ago and 2 girls, Giampietro and I all headed to Trieste, Italy then on to Slovenia to see Portorose and Purian. All three are beautiful seaside cities. I had the best seafood of my life in Trieste. We had a great time and I have never seen Giampietro so relaxed. He's like a 42 year old negative Ned. Always complaining about something or making tacky jokes about America, but you just gotta love him! He looked 10 years younger! Gen and I chased him with some streamer we found on the street through the center square of Trieste. We didn't explore all the towns like we wanted because it was bitter cold. In Portorose we walked around just a bit then hit the casino... I won 10 euros. GO ME! lol.
On the way home we stopped at a pizzeria in Monte Bulluna - Dad it was better than the one we ate at I promise. He did say that there was another one on the other side of town like he liked more. I told him we'd have to go there next time. They have pizzerias in Italy like the our gas stations in the states. Oh and I almost forgot about the drinks Giampietro ordered!! They have these delcious little smoothie drinks. They put them in fun little glasses and its made with lemon gelato, prossecco, and a splash of vodka... he said he and his buddy used to order them a pitcher at a time! We had two and called it good. :) They were so pretty though! 'll make them when I get back! :)
Two nights ago James turned 25. We held a pub crawl for him that went just swimmingly. The title of this blog was basically his theme for the night! I think we had everyone show up for the dinner portion, or close to it anyways. Its always a good time when we all get together.
OK off to dinner... my tummy to growling. Love you guys!!
We had a day off a while ago and 2 girls, Giampietro and I all headed to Trieste, Italy then on to Slovenia to see Portorose and Purian. All three are beautiful seaside cities. I had the best seafood of my life in Trieste. We had a great time and I have never seen Giampietro so relaxed. He's like a 42 year old negative Ned. Always complaining about something or making tacky jokes about America, but you just gotta love him! He looked 10 years younger! Gen and I chased him with some streamer we found on the street through the center square of Trieste. We didn't explore all the towns like we wanted because it was bitter cold. In Portorose we walked around just a bit then hit the casino... I won 10 euros. GO ME! lol.
On the way home we stopped at a pizzeria in Monte Bulluna - Dad it was better than the one we ate at I promise. He did say that there was another one on the other side of town like he liked more. I told him we'd have to go there next time. They have pizzerias in Italy like the our gas stations in the states. Oh and I almost forgot about the drinks Giampietro ordered!! They have these delcious little smoothie drinks. They put them in fun little glasses and its made with lemon gelato, prossecco, and a splash of vodka... he said he and his buddy used to order them a pitcher at a time! We had two and called it good. :) They were so pretty though! 'll make them when I get back! :)
Two nights ago James turned 25. We held a pub crawl for him that went just swimmingly. The title of this blog was basically his theme for the night! I think we had everyone show up for the dinner portion, or close to it anyways. Its always a good time when we all get together.
OK off to dinner... my tummy to growling. Love you guys!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Will this story ever end?
Ok, so we are on our way to Innsbruck, Austria. The ride through the mountains - well more like around them - was beautiful, although not as beautiful as the drive back to Asolo, but that's coming later. :) The Italians seem to build bridges just off the side of the mountain instead of carving into them like in Colorado. You feel a lot safer I must say.
So we got to Innsbruck and planned on hanging out for a bit and grabbing lunch. We couldn't decide on a restaurant so we ate wieners and potatoes from one of the street vendors. It was REALLY good. We walked around for about two hours and dad snapped photos like he was the paparazzi the entire time... this was a recurring theme. Too hardly any of the pics are of actual people. :)
From Innsbruck we head up to Munich. Sadly we were bumper to bumper traffic for most of the way.It took us like two extra hours to get there. We were not very happy campers when we arrived. So we decided to go eat then walk around the center and sight see the following morning.
We went to the Hofbrau house for a few beers and had dinner there. We luckily sat in a random table with the most amazing people. The bad news starts when I go to pay the bill... my card was MISSING! I'll cut this part short and tell you I dropped it at a gas station in Innsbruck.The man at the station gave it to his bank so no fraudulent charges or anything. Hopefully a new one is in the mail!! After dinner with our new friends dad and I decided to start heading back to the hotel... too bad my purse was not on my shoulder when we got back - too many layers of clothes! It was freezing that night! I'll cut this story short too... someone stole my purse rifled through it then left it in the men's restroom in the Ratskeller restaurant. We didn't even go there! The owner found it, called my house phone in OK... it was 4 in the morning Okie time. Successfully flipped out the family at home then failed to report it to the police. Meanwhile dad and I hitting some serious pavement looking for it, we even filed a police report!
Anyway we got it back a few days later wiht only $200 gone... they left the euros and the English pounds. I just hope I let someone feed their family. They didn't take my dad's camera - although I don't know who would, the thing is like 5 years old!
We actually had to leave Munich without it because we were already running behind and we thought we'd never see it again. So the story continues... We head to Regensburg at this point. And we had traffic again. We are both thinking that we can't get any more unlucky! Then miraculously the traffic clear, I mean it was when we almost there, but it was something positive. For the record, I was positive Patty through all this. Dad will understand this next comment: I was out of the box!
Oh I almost forgot, on the way out of Munich we did stop at the concentration camp in Dachau... if you ever get a chance to visit one, DO. Its not so much what you see, but its how you feel. Its a very humbling, serene feeling. It was my second time seeing one and I think it hit me more this time, because I had recently heard stories of friend whose family lost many in those camps. We basically just walked in read a few signs and walked out. Dad and I just couldn't handle it.
Alrighty, Regensburg, it was starting to snow pretty heavily so we just drove through. It was a beautiful city... dad said it reminded him of Hanzel and Gretel! It didn't get bombed in the war so it still had its charm.
Then we headed to Nuremberg. Dad is a nervous wreck at this point... driving in the snow, with no camera and my purse was missing plus we still hadn't figured out what happened to my check card. We arrived at our hotel, the Hilton in one piece. We pulled the ultimate lazy evening. Ate dinner in the hotel and talked to the family back home - we had to calm them down and reassure that we were not lying in the ditch somewhere.
The next morning we woke up early and went out sight seeing. Oh I have to tell you about the breakfast!! If you ever stay at a Hilton do NOT miss out on the breakfast. It was AWESOME. They had salmon, eggs, grilled mushrooms, sausages, grilled tomatoes stuffed with cheese... and SO much more. YUM!
Ok, so back to Nuremberg. We spent the entire morning walked around the old city center. We did not get to go into the tunnels under Nuremberg but that just means I'll have to go back. We climbed up to the castle, saw the lucky golden ring on a beautiful fountain, and hung out in the main square for a few seconds. Really a neat city but its actually a large city, we just stayed in the center.
After Nuremberg we had to make a detour trip to Munich to pick up my purse. We had gotten a hold of the restaurant and they were holding it for me. This is when luck really started to shift. We left in a snow storm and traffic and just a few miles outside of Nuremberg the skies cleared and NO more traffic!! I think dad almost started crying - and if not then when we found out his camera was still in my purse!
OK OK, enough making fun of him for now. While in Munich we saw the BMW Welt but didn't get to see all the antique cars because the museum was closed. We did get to walk around the Olympic area. Dad showed me the apartments where the hostages were held, another sobering moment in my life. I just can't imagine the anger some people harbor for complete strangers. The buildings were kind of funny looking. I don't remember if any of you guys remember them but its like cranes holding everything up... designed like that. Dad has multiple photos. I also was surprised to see how close together everything is in the village. We peeked into the swimming building and people were actually swimming in there. Kind of odd.
From here we move on to Fussen. We had more clear skies and no traffic still, dad has his camera and finally a smile on his face. Life is good on this drive. We even pulled into a little place to get a snack, sausage cheese and a piece of bread. It was amazing. We did well. All the small towns on the way had churches with the same kind of steeple... there was always a big ball on it! Bavarian styled but I didn't know that's how Bavarians built things - it looked very Middle Eastern to me. Beautiful.
So we got to where we were staying, which was a tiny little town a stones throw outside of Fussen. We had a view of one of the castles and everything! We were very lucky with our views of things in all the places we stayed. And the bed at this place was SO comfy!!
That night we decided to try out a place the owner suggested. When we finally found it we were banned to the beer garden - apparently there were no tables available on the inside. At least they had heaters and tent where we were! The portions were huge and the beer was good. They even pour a shot of sherry into your mouth directly from a little barrel! We had to test that out. :)
The next morning we were up and off to the castles. Tickets - check, 30 minute walk up a hill - check, noticing when your tour starts so you don't have to go with a later group - NO check. Oops, we were hiding in the gift store because it was so cold and we missed our tour! Good thing there was anotehr one like 30 minutes later. We toured King Ludwig's personal castle - not his parents one, which is a stones throw away.
After our tour we scooted down the hill pretty quickly and we were off! We stopped in Garmisch to eat... it was delicious. Dad had trout and I had a sampling plate of Balkan foods. I do not know exactly what I ate besides a lot of pork, but I do know I want the recipe!
Finally it was time to head back to Asolo. This is Tuesday afternoon and we had a four drive then I had class at 9 on Wednesday morning. The way back was so peaceful. All our drama behind us and I think we are closer than ever now. We shared experiences that can never be replicated and I'm grateful I had that opportunity. I love you Dad!!
He snapped pictures the whole way back and told me I missed beautiful scenery - I'm sure I did, but scenery is not what I'm taking from this "vacation".
So we got to Innsbruck and planned on hanging out for a bit and grabbing lunch. We couldn't decide on a restaurant so we ate wieners and potatoes from one of the street vendors. It was REALLY good. We walked around for about two hours and dad snapped photos like he was the paparazzi the entire time... this was a recurring theme. Too hardly any of the pics are of actual people. :)
From Innsbruck we head up to Munich. Sadly we were bumper to bumper traffic for most of the way.It took us like two extra hours to get there. We were not very happy campers when we arrived. So we decided to go eat then walk around the center and sight see the following morning.
We went to the Hofbrau house for a few beers and had dinner there. We luckily sat in a random table with the most amazing people. The bad news starts when I go to pay the bill... my card was MISSING! I'll cut this part short and tell you I dropped it at a gas station in Innsbruck.The man at the station gave it to his bank so no fraudulent charges or anything. Hopefully a new one is in the mail!! After dinner with our new friends dad and I decided to start heading back to the hotel... too bad my purse was not on my shoulder when we got back - too many layers of clothes! It was freezing that night! I'll cut this story short too... someone stole my purse rifled through it then left it in the men's restroom in the Ratskeller restaurant. We didn't even go there! The owner found it, called my house phone in OK... it was 4 in the morning Okie time. Successfully flipped out the family at home then failed to report it to the police. Meanwhile dad and I hitting some serious pavement looking for it, we even filed a police report!
Anyway we got it back a few days later wiht only $200 gone... they left the euros and the English pounds. I just hope I let someone feed their family. They didn't take my dad's camera - although I don't know who would, the thing is like 5 years old!
We actually had to leave Munich without it because we were already running behind and we thought we'd never see it again. So the story continues... We head to Regensburg at this point. And we had traffic again. We are both thinking that we can't get any more unlucky! Then miraculously the traffic clear, I mean it was when we almost there, but it was something positive. For the record, I was positive Patty through all this. Dad will understand this next comment: I was out of the box!
Oh I almost forgot, on the way out of Munich we did stop at the concentration camp in Dachau... if you ever get a chance to visit one, DO. Its not so much what you see, but its how you feel. Its a very humbling, serene feeling. It was my second time seeing one and I think it hit me more this time, because I had recently heard stories of friend whose family lost many in those camps. We basically just walked in read a few signs and walked out. Dad and I just couldn't handle it.
Alrighty, Regensburg, it was starting to snow pretty heavily so we just drove through. It was a beautiful city... dad said it reminded him of Hanzel and Gretel! It didn't get bombed in the war so it still had its charm.
Then we headed to Nuremberg. Dad is a nervous wreck at this point... driving in the snow, with no camera and my purse was missing plus we still hadn't figured out what happened to my check card. We arrived at our hotel, the Hilton in one piece. We pulled the ultimate lazy evening. Ate dinner in the hotel and talked to the family back home - we had to calm them down and reassure that we were not lying in the ditch somewhere.
The next morning we woke up early and went out sight seeing. Oh I have to tell you about the breakfast!! If you ever stay at a Hilton do NOT miss out on the breakfast. It was AWESOME. They had salmon, eggs, grilled mushrooms, sausages, grilled tomatoes stuffed with cheese... and SO much more. YUM!
Ok, so back to Nuremberg. We spent the entire morning walked around the old city center. We did not get to go into the tunnels under Nuremberg but that just means I'll have to go back. We climbed up to the castle, saw the lucky golden ring on a beautiful fountain, and hung out in the main square for a few seconds. Really a neat city but its actually a large city, we just stayed in the center.
After Nuremberg we had to make a detour trip to Munich to pick up my purse. We had gotten a hold of the restaurant and they were holding it for me. This is when luck really started to shift. We left in a snow storm and traffic and just a few miles outside of Nuremberg the skies cleared and NO more traffic!! I think dad almost started crying - and if not then when we found out his camera was still in my purse!
OK OK, enough making fun of him for now. While in Munich we saw the BMW Welt but didn't get to see all the antique cars because the museum was closed. We did get to walk around the Olympic area. Dad showed me the apartments where the hostages were held, another sobering moment in my life. I just can't imagine the anger some people harbor for complete strangers. The buildings were kind of funny looking. I don't remember if any of you guys remember them but its like cranes holding everything up... designed like that. Dad has multiple photos. I also was surprised to see how close together everything is in the village. We peeked into the swimming building and people were actually swimming in there. Kind of odd.
From here we move on to Fussen. We had more clear skies and no traffic still, dad has his camera and finally a smile on his face. Life is good on this drive. We even pulled into a little place to get a snack, sausage cheese and a piece of bread. It was amazing. We did well. All the small towns on the way had churches with the same kind of steeple... there was always a big ball on it! Bavarian styled but I didn't know that's how Bavarians built things - it looked very Middle Eastern to me. Beautiful.
So we got to where we were staying, which was a tiny little town a stones throw outside of Fussen. We had a view of one of the castles and everything! We were very lucky with our views of things in all the places we stayed. And the bed at this place was SO comfy!!
That night we decided to try out a place the owner suggested. When we finally found it we were banned to the beer garden - apparently there were no tables available on the inside. At least they had heaters and tent where we were! The portions were huge and the beer was good. They even pour a shot of sherry into your mouth directly from a little barrel! We had to test that out. :)
The next morning we were up and off to the castles. Tickets - check, 30 minute walk up a hill - check, noticing when your tour starts so you don't have to go with a later group - NO check. Oops, we were hiding in the gift store because it was so cold and we missed our tour! Good thing there was anotehr one like 30 minutes later. We toured King Ludwig's personal castle - not his parents one, which is a stones throw away.
After our tour we scooted down the hill pretty quickly and we were off! We stopped in Garmisch to eat... it was delicious. Dad had trout and I had a sampling plate of Balkan foods. I do not know exactly what I ate besides a lot of pork, but I do know I want the recipe!
Finally it was time to head back to Asolo. This is Tuesday afternoon and we had a four drive then I had class at 9 on Wednesday morning. The way back was so peaceful. All our drama behind us and I think we are closer than ever now. We shared experiences that can never be replicated and I'm grateful I had that opportunity. I love you Dad!!
He snapped pictures the whole way back and told me I missed beautiful scenery - I'm sure I did, but scenery is not what I'm taking from this "vacation".
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Random cont.
So we saw the Sistine Chapel and climbed to the top of St. Peter's Basilica.Those two thing took us all day because of long lines, but if we didn't do them we might have regretted it. Dad kept stopping at the most random things... like he was more interested the of the Pantheon then the actual building. We found the cutest little deli and restaurant right off the Pantheon. Its a street that jets out from the front area of the Pantheon. If your back is to the building and your level with the fountain go right.The deli is the second one on your right. The old lady that works there is the picture perfect Italian. She was tiny, spoke English and was named Marcela (sp?). The restaurant was the right as well but it was before the deli. The had good pasta at decent prices.
So after Rome we caught a train to Florence. They had told us the walk to the hotel was like 5 minutes and to not take a cab... well 15 minutes later and down a side street we found the place. We had a view of the chapel from our balcony. We were exhausted when we got there so we decided to just go eat then call it an early night. We went a restaurant and ordered a Florentine steak with french fries and fried artichokes. It was the best steak I've ever had. Dad preferred the fries I think. He couldn't get over how perfectly cooked they were!
Unfortunately we didn't get to see much of Florence. We just saw the stuff in the main square then we took off the next morning to Sienna. Its one of the best preserved mid evil cities in Italy. It was beautiful, and its in the heart of Tuscany. Dad talked about wanting to take mom there. How sweet. lol
From Sienna it was back to Florence to get our bags then we were on another train to Rome ti get the rental car. THEN we drove to Asolo for New Years... dad driving a rental car is hilarious. He was all tense and cranky. We made it to Asolo and found out that the local Pizzeria, Maria's, was open for the night!! There was a wait to be seated so we got a glass of wine and dad watched Saverio make the pizzas. We was totally in awe of him. SO cute!!
We spent most of the night there and dad made friends with the table next to us. He even gave the guy his business card! Needless to say, dad got a text the next morning wishing him a Happy New Year! hahaha!!
The next day, the first, we decided to take a day off and hang out in Asolo, plus we were having trouble finding a hotel for the day of. So we ate pasta at Epoca and booked hotels all day. Not asrelaxing as we would have wanted but it was needed. Well that's all of Italy. Next we head to Austria then on to Germany....
So after Rome we caught a train to Florence. They had told us the walk to the hotel was like 5 minutes and to not take a cab... well 15 minutes later and down a side street we found the place. We had a view of the chapel from our balcony. We were exhausted when we got there so we decided to just go eat then call it an early night. We went a restaurant and ordered a Florentine steak with french fries and fried artichokes. It was the best steak I've ever had. Dad preferred the fries I think. He couldn't get over how perfectly cooked they were!
Unfortunately we didn't get to see much of Florence. We just saw the stuff in the main square then we took off the next morning to Sienna. Its one of the best preserved mid evil cities in Italy. It was beautiful, and its in the heart of Tuscany. Dad talked about wanting to take mom there. How sweet. lol
From Sienna it was back to Florence to get our bags then we were on another train to Rome ti get the rental car. THEN we drove to Asolo for New Years... dad driving a rental car is hilarious. He was all tense and cranky. We made it to Asolo and found out that the local Pizzeria, Maria's, was open for the night!! There was a wait to be seated so we got a glass of wine and dad watched Saverio make the pizzas. We was totally in awe of him. SO cute!!
We spent most of the night there and dad made friends with the table next to us. He even gave the guy his business card! Needless to say, dad got a text the next morning wishing him a Happy New Year! hahaha!!
The next day, the first, we decided to take a day off and hang out in Asolo, plus we were having trouble finding a hotel for the day of. So we ate pasta at Epoca and booked hotels all day. Not asrelaxing as we would have wanted but it was needed. Well that's all of Italy. Next we head to Austria then on to Germany....
Monday, January 4, 2010
Rambling
Hey-O everyone! This blog is going to be short and random. Its random due to the fact that I've traveled so much lately.
I went to Ireland for Christmas and it was great. I still really want to see the rest of Ireland because I've only been to Dublin... I will one day. Just not this time around. We got to listen to folk music and drink Guinness that was as smooth as milk. Gen and I cooked a HUGE Christmas dinner. I now have a new appreciation for Mom when she cooks and we're all just sitting around - the frustration with people snacking ALL day and watching movies and when they strategically ask if you need any help after everything is practically done. Hopefully after that experience I'll be a better Christmas Day meal eater. :) We made two different kinds of stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, and a butternut squash dish... I wrote about that dish before. It was really good! One of the stuffings was store bought but everything else was homemade! I even made sausage rolls that morning. We couldn't find any biscuit dough so I used some pastry stuff. I didn't have to freeze it that way. Everyone still seemed to like it. The sausages in Ireland are like white! i had to assure everyone that yes it was cooked. haha!
Then I went to London to see and old friend. H, who used to play basketball at OCU, lives in Essex and plays pro basketball now. His real name is Haggai but everyone just calls him H. We stayed at his sister's place in Golder's Green - an area of London. We just hung out and didn't do a lot of touristy things.. We did got to Camden Town which are huge markets... my mom would have died! One night we even ended up at a bar where I had been with some of the people from my Copenhagen class when the school took us to London. Small world and SO random! Oh and H ordered us some food from a Israeli place... it was awesome! It was like a huge wrap with lamb and chicken meat. Man I wish I would have taken a picture of it. LOL.
After that I flew to meet my dad in Venice. We landed at about the same time so they let me stay in the baggage area to meet him. Talk about curbside service! As soon as he came to get his luggage I was there. We then dropped our bags off at the rail station and went exploring for a bit in Venice. He came out of the station and the entire city just lays in front of you. You can see some of the old buildings and the canal. Guess what?... teary eyed old dad! hahaha. We walked around a while and just kind of munched on stuff.
Then we hopped on the night train to Rome. We actually went a little earlier than we we planned so we got in about 9 or a little later. We decided to go eat around the corner from our hotel. It was SO good! Turns out dad likes wine. We got all appetizers and some of the house wine. It turned into a feast! We slept in pretty late because it was dad's first night and his body was still adjusting to the new time zone. We saw all the big attractions. Something we did that I hadn't done before was seeing the Sistine Chapel. Man it was gorgeous and a maze!
Well I better stop here. We have to go see Nuremberg. I'll finish later... XOXO
I went to Ireland for Christmas and it was great. I still really want to see the rest of Ireland because I've only been to Dublin... I will one day. Just not this time around. We got to listen to folk music and drink Guinness that was as smooth as milk. Gen and I cooked a HUGE Christmas dinner. I now have a new appreciation for Mom when she cooks and we're all just sitting around - the frustration with people snacking ALL day and watching movies and when they strategically ask if you need any help after everything is practically done. Hopefully after that experience I'll be a better Christmas Day meal eater. :) We made two different kinds of stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, and a butternut squash dish... I wrote about that dish before. It was really good! One of the stuffings was store bought but everything else was homemade! I even made sausage rolls that morning. We couldn't find any biscuit dough so I used some pastry stuff. I didn't have to freeze it that way. Everyone still seemed to like it. The sausages in Ireland are like white! i had to assure everyone that yes it was cooked. haha!
Then I went to London to see and old friend. H, who used to play basketball at OCU, lives in Essex and plays pro basketball now. His real name is Haggai but everyone just calls him H. We stayed at his sister's place in Golder's Green - an area of London. We just hung out and didn't do a lot of touristy things.. We did got to Camden Town which are huge markets... my mom would have died! One night we even ended up at a bar where I had been with some of the people from my Copenhagen class when the school took us to London. Small world and SO random! Oh and H ordered us some food from a Israeli place... it was awesome! It was like a huge wrap with lamb and chicken meat. Man I wish I would have taken a picture of it. LOL.
After that I flew to meet my dad in Venice. We landed at about the same time so they let me stay in the baggage area to meet him. Talk about curbside service! As soon as he came to get his luggage I was there. We then dropped our bags off at the rail station and went exploring for a bit in Venice. He came out of the station and the entire city just lays in front of you. You can see some of the old buildings and the canal. Guess what?... teary eyed old dad! hahaha. We walked around a while and just kind of munched on stuff.
Then we hopped on the night train to Rome. We actually went a little earlier than we we planned so we got in about 9 or a little later. We decided to go eat around the corner from our hotel. It was SO good! Turns out dad likes wine. We got all appetizers and some of the house wine. It turned into a feast! We slept in pretty late because it was dad's first night and his body was still adjusting to the new time zone. We saw all the big attractions. Something we did that I hadn't done before was seeing the Sistine Chapel. Man it was gorgeous and a maze!
Well I better stop here. We have to go see Nuremberg. I'll finish later... XOXO
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