The Climb

From my window I can see some pretty mountains, one which has a cross and an Italian flag at the top. I recently learned that there is a hiking path that leads to the top, so I decided to try it out! Spectacular. This is an easy hike so I can do it anytime and just relax at the top.

Lots of stairs...

At the top...

The view...

Sparkle

Before coming to Italy, one of the last meals I had in LA was at my favorite deli near my mom's house. "Roma Deli" makes really great sandwiches and salads, so I had to have it one last time before leaving to Italy. When I ordered my food I also got something I usually never get: San Pellegrino (sparkling water). When I got home I realized that the label said Bergamo! Out of all the places in Italy, the water I was drinking was made in a factory in Bergamo, the exact town in which I was about to spend 6 months!

So this Monday with nothing else to do, I decided to check out the area of San Pellegrino. It was about a 30 minute drive and the view, as usual in Italy, was very pretty. The mountains reminded me of California, and the town was small and quaint. We tried to see if the factory was open to tourists, but no luck... So we had lunch in the area and took a walk along the river. Just another beautiful spring day in Italy!

The only part of the factory we could see....

Along the river....

Picnic

This Sunday I made pancakes for the family! It was the first time the kids had pancakes and I think they liked them.

Later that day I hung out with some more couchsurfers. We drove to an area near Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) to have a picnic. The picnic was at a house with a beautiful view of the lake in the distance, lots of chickens, and the perfect ambience for relaxing in the sun. The host had set up a bazaar of old clothes and knick knacks for sale, including fresh eggs and homemade soap.

We all enjoyed a small feast and a few hours later packed up and drove back to Bergamo.

That night was the monthly couchsurfers meeting. We went to "Ribeca Social Bar" where they had an aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) with a buffet. This bar is really cute. They had a slideshow of adorable kitty pictures, as the theme of the bar seemed to be cats! The dj played some good music and we stayed there for a while before a few of us left and went to O'deas Irish Pub before heading home. All in all it was a good day with some good people!

Unstoppable

Today the family and I went to pick up the new golden retriever puppy!! She is a sweetheart. Her name is Miranda, but the breeder has to recycle names alphabetically... And this litter's letter was 'U.' So her official name is "Unstoppable!" She is getting acquainted with her new home and is loving the huge garden. The first encounter with Sashimi the cat was quite hilarious... Cuteness!

Happiness

I had yet another amazing weekend in Italy! I spent it in a small town called Pisogne, about 40km from where I live. This town borders the 4th largest lake in Italy, Lake Iseo. Just north of the lake is a valley (Val Camonica) full of rocks carved with symbols by ancient people. I went to the National Park of Rock Engravings to see some of them.

Around town...

Great grandmother's coffee grinder makes the best coffee I've ever had! 

 

"0 km" milk, fresh from just up the hill

 At the National Park of Rock Engravings where the guide was explaining the history of the ancient rock carvings 

And to finish off the weekend we had some gelato... Pokemon Gelato?? Haha...

Little Children

Cute moment of the week:
I told the kids, "The first one to be ready for bed gets a..................BIG.....................HUG!"
And they all raced to the bathroom. I thought to myself, there's no way they understood me. They wouldn't be racing like that for a hug. A few minutes later little Theo runs up to me with open arms saying, "I'm finished!" It was the sweetest thing in the world!

Speaking of cuteness, I see this precious thing every day when I walk the kids to school: