500 Days of Summer

The last few weeks have been wonderful. The kids are on vacation and I feel the stress of school has melted away. A couple of weekends ago we went to a party with all of the dogs from the kennel where Miranda was born. Yes, that's my life. I get to play with cute kids and puppies AND live in Italy in the meantime.

The next weekend we went to a picnic near Lugano, Switzerland, which is less than a 2 hour drive from Bergamo. We walked up to Alpe di Brusino and ate delicious food prepared by Monica and her friends.

I also met some Americans in Bergamo who were studying abroad from the University of Missouri, and the last Saturday they were in Bergamo they set up a soccer match. Wish I had dressed for the occasion!

This last weekend was particularly amazing. I had two friends visiting Bergamo so I set up an aperitivo at a local bar. Aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) is one of those amazing Italian concepts that probably would never work in the states. You simply pay for one drink (usually €5) and then you get to eat from the buffet. Of course the quality and price of the buffet varies from place to place, the best being in Milan (€8+).

The next morning we got up early to head to Como, where we had planned a 2 day (30km) hike from Como to Bellagio. We started later than we'd hoped, but still had an incredible walk through the mountains of Como, overlooking the beautiful lakes. The weather was perfect, except at night when the temperature dropped and 1 sleeping bag and small blanket were not enough! We heard dogs barking viciously, and the bells of donkeys walking around had us on our toes... We hardly got any sleep. But the sight of stars away from city lights made it all worthwhile.

Now I'm back in Bergamo with sore legs and shoulders... But eagerly awaiting the next trek!

Must Love Dogs

Oh...you know, just a cute puppy!

Venus

I would like to take a minute to appreciate the universe and all the beauty that surrounds us today. Today, a day when Venus' silhouette is visible moving across the sun. Unfortunately, I don't have the proper viewing device to see it with my own eyes, but the pictures on the internet have been fascinating. This one in particular: 

"Venus in transit today, telescope tracking the Sun, light in focus coming out of it's 25mm eyepiece, projected onto my hand or paper or anything really, photo of my hand with a camera. :)"
Credit goes to omenmedia. Amazing. 

And according to a wise source, the "transit of Venus" was first used by Italian astronomer Cassini to measure the distance from the Earth to the Sun. We've come a long way, folks. And so much more mystery to unravel. 

Tiramisu

You know that feeling when everything comes together? That moment when something clicks. The overwhelming surprise when an epiphany comes out of nowhere. Ok, I had one this week.

When I think about it, it's pretty silly actually. I was at the park with the kids and we were playing on the jungle gym. Nicky was on the monkey bars and yelled, "Tira mi su!" At first I thought, why is he talking about desserts? A second later I understood...

Tira = pull [command form from the infinitive verb Tirare]
Mi = me
Su = up

In common English, "Tiramisu" can be translated to "Pull me up" or "Pick me up." It all makes sense! A coffee flavored dessert, when you need a pick-me-up. :) Yum!

Memorial Day

A couple weeks ago I went to visit some of my American buddies in Vicenza. They were having a pre-memorial-day-weekend-barbecue-party, and what better excuse to head out for a visit! It was really nice to see my friends again, and I got to eat yummy American food like artichoke dip, green bean casserole, and veggie burgers-- with sriracha!! I can't wait to see them again!

That night I came back to Bergamo where there was an event happening called, "Bergamo Street Parade." I had no idea what to expect, but I was very shocked when I arrived! A long path in downtown Bergamo was blocked off, and hundreds, if not thousands, of people were in the streets. Ten trucks playing different types of music slowly drove down the path as groups of people gathered behind each truck, dancing to their hearts content. It was fun to dance in the middle of a street usually riddles with heavy city traffic. The only downside is that it ended at 11:30pm... the side effects of living in a super religious country! If you're ever in Northern Italy in May, I suggest checking this event out!

Redeye

If you know me, you know I like my make-up. So when I saw an affordable cosmetics shop in Italy I will admit  I was a little excited. I purchased some liquid eyeliner one day and finally got a chance to try it this week. Oh no... my eyes were burning! Needless to say, I won't be buying KIKO products anymore.