All This, and Heaven Too

Well, this past week was simply amazing. I started my Italian course in Cittá Alta and saw this cutie, all dressed up for Carnivale.

Carnivale in Italy is a cross between the American Mardi Gras and Halloween. People dress up, throw confetti, streamers, and silly string everywhere and just have fun. I saw a preview of it in my town, but this weekend I'm headed to Milan for the whole shebang.

This will be my second time in Milan, my first being his past weekend. Nothing could have been more perfect! I visited gorgeous cathedrals, ate delicious food and saw some amazing sights.

Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) My iPod doesn't do it justice!

Delicious treats from Antica Cremeria

A walk down the world famous fashion street

Where I saw my first Lamborghini!

Lunch was at a Mozzarella Bar called Obika, YUM!

Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle)

Some protests in the street, I got flashbacks of Buenos Aires!

On Tuesday we went to Martinengo, a little place outside Bergamo

I can't wait for my second trip to Milano this weekend!

It's a Wonderful Life

On Monday I went to Cittá Alta to take the entrance exam for my Italian class. The teacher announced that if we were absolute beginners we didn't have to take the test, we would just be placed in the beginner class. So I basically traveled all the way there to find out when my class was. Oh well!

Today made up for it though. I saw some amusing things at the supermarket. It's the simple things!! For one, a giant display of Nutella... But not the biggest I've seen by far!

Also, among the entire aisle of yogurt was a huge area for Activia brand yogurt. The flavors were... Different. There were your basics: strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla. But then they had coffee, hazelnut, ice cream, fig, peach apricot, cooked pear, cooked apple, coconut muesli, walnut oat, and whole grain. Hmm.

Anyway, to continue practicing my driving stick and to become more familiar with our area, we drove to Cavallina Valley and saw Lake Endine. The lake is frozen over this time of year but it was a pretty sight. And there were people brave enough to walk around on the ice!

It almost looks like a beach, but that's a frozen lake.

 

Circle of Friends

Where would I be without couchsurfing.org? It's only been a few weeks here in Italy yet I have already met some great people on this website. The main goal of the site is to find someone with a spare couch or bed willing to host you when you are in a foreign city. This way, you get to stay somewhere for free and meet a local who will hopefully help you during your travels. Since I already have lovely accommodation in Bergamo, I have used this site to meet people who are free to chat over coffee or to take me out on Saturday night. So far my experiences have been nothing but great.

My first time out in Bergamo started with an aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) at ViceVersa and pizza at Live Keller in Curno. After that we went to a club called Edoné which I believe is in Redona. It's a small place but somehow didn't feel crowded, and the DJ was playing some great electronic music.

This Saturday was very different. We started our evening with a lovely home cooked meal. For starters we had a salad made with walnuts, honey and tallegio cheese. The main course was called pizzoccheri. This is a pasta dish made with flat buckwheat noodles, potatoes, cheese, butter and sage. The meal was finished perfectly with some gelato and limoncello. After dinner we went to a club called Primolivello in Curno and this place was huge. They had live music followed by a mix of Italian and other pop. Che divertimento!

Last night there was a couchsurfer event at a place called Daragi. With the purchase of any drink (4-5 Euros) you can eat as much as you want from the buffet. They had polenta, mashed potatoes, lentils, a pasta dish, and more. I met a lot of great people and will definitely be spending more time at Daragi.

Like Crazy

Things I miss so far:

-Hanging out with my friends and family. I'm very thankful that technology (including my new iPod touch) gives me the ability to communicate with the people I care about. Although is doesn't replace being there, it sometimes feels like we're in the same room.

-Pepper. When all else fails, kisses from my bunny always make me smile!

-Certain foods. Monica is a wonderful cook, but sometimes I do miss spicy food, ethnic food (Mexican, Thai, Indian, etc.) and garlic... I thought Italian cuisine would have more of it!

-California weather. Don't get me wrong, I love the snow... And hanging out by the fireplace, and sipping hot chocolate. Ok, maybe this is just a case of 'the grass is always greener.' because I love it here. But California is my home! (Where the heart is...)

There are some things I don't miss because there is plenty of it here, one being cheese! Within the first week of being here I had consumed goat, sheep, cow, and buffalo cheese! The supermarkets here have aisles and aisles and counters full of different kinds of cheeses. The amount they have could fill an entire market in the U.S.

There are two things I like about Italian supermarkets. One is that the cashiers sit while working. I see no advantage to having someone stand all day when they don't need to.

Another thing I like is the rolling shopping basket. Sometimes you don't need a big cart, but you don't feel like lugging around a basket. This is the perfect compromise:

Mystic Pizza

I can't wait to have a peperoni pizza in Italy! You may be asking yourself, "What?! But Mel, aren't you vegetarian?" and the answer is yes, I'm still vegetarian. 'Peperoni' in Italian translates to bell pepper. If you come to Italy and order a "pizza di peperoni" (take note of the missing 'p'), don't expect spicy salami (called 'pepperoni' in America). If you happen to be in the mood for spicy Italian salami known as pepperoni in the States, look for "salame piccante" on the menu. :)

Anyway, this weekend was awesome! It started with grandpa taking the kids and me out for "merenda" (afternoon snack). As you can see, we really enjoyed it.

I got a hot chocolate, which is very different in Italy. It's super thick! If you have ever eaten a Snack Pack chocolate pudding, imagine putting it into a mug and microwaving it until hot. That's the best way I can describe Italian hot chocolate.

That night I visited a friend who lives about 45 minutes east of me. On Saturday we were hungry around 3:00pm, which apparently is a very inopportune time to be hungry in Italy! Most restaurants only open for lunch time and dinner time. We drove around for quite a while until we finally came across a mall with a food court. Within a few minutes we found a place called "Old Wild West." Now, I've only been in Italy for a few weeks, so my first choice for a meal wouldn't have been American style food, but the people I was with were instantly enamored with this place. We sat in an "Oregon Trail" style covered wagon table and that's when I realized that I was sitting in the most kitsch restaurant on the planet. After some nachos and a "burrito" we went home, played cards, and then went to an Irish Pub in Desenzano. This was definitely the least Italian weekend I've had here so far!

Yes, they had a segregated seating area, for an authentic effect:

And today we had a nice Italian meal at La Piola, just outside of Brescia. My favorite part was dessert: creamy custard topped with strawberries. Yum!

Snow

Yesterday was the first day of snow in Bergamo. Everything looks so beautiful covered in fluffy whiteness. It feels like Christmas even though the holidays are over.

Today I played with Nicky in the garden. We had a snowball fight and played snow-baseball. Although I hate the cold, I love the snow!

Yesterday:

Today: