Mangia, mangia!

I'm pretty sure that this is what heaven looks like:

The food is glorious. I imagine that many people feel deeply moved by religious and spiritual significance when they come to Italy. Well, that's the way I feel about the food here. I can't even describe how much I am enjoying every taste and smell. So far, almost every day I've had at least one glass of chianti, one espresso, and one gelato. I've also been enjoying every morsel of the classic pastas, pizzas, calzones, panini's, and risotto. Ahhhhh, I heart carbs. I wasn't kidding when I said that they would have to roll me out of Italy after our trip has ended (maybe I will be buoyant enough to float across the ocean). 

Erich has really been the adventurous one, however; trying the regional specialties such as tripe and cow tongue. Ordering the cow tongue was kind of by accident, but he was fully aware of his choice for tripe. I was glad to try each, but even more happy not to have to eat the whole thing. 

On every corner there are shops with delectable cured meats hanging from the cieling, and cheeses below them in the cases. My favorite cheese thus far is Pecorino, made from goat milk and really dry but creamy (kinda like Manchego). We also found a gelateria in Florence that makes their gelato in house and claims to be the first gelaterias in Italy. Their Buontalenti al Marscapone flavor (named after the dude who claimed to have invented gelato) was maybe the best dessert I have ever tasted in my entire life. We were so close to the city of Chianti, we had to take advantage of the Chianti wine, and ended up buying a liter and a half from a local trattoria after one glass :).

Suffice it to say, we're really enjoying ourselves food-wise. So much of it reminds me so much of the food my Nonna used to make, but still missing all that love that she used to put in it. Before you get too envious of the food, I will say that I have had some stomach problems that hinder my enjoyment at times, but it's all worth it. Now, if only I could get a job as a food taste tester....

Firenze!

Firenze (Florence) was our first real stop in Italy, and it has been a wonderful start to our time here. It’s a fast, bustling city with Vespas zipping past you at every turn. I was expecting this from Rome, but from what I remembered of Florence was a much quieter and low key city. Quiet this city is not, but it is packed with history, art, and architecture, like any Italian city. We picked the best first week to be in Italy. Last April 16 marked the beginning of Italy’s Settimana Cultura, Culture Week. This granted free admission to all of the national parks, museums, and historical sights that would otherwise cost a pretty penny. Although this meant that every place we went was flooded with school classes taking advantage of the learning opportunity (a.k.a. kids goofing off in museums), the free admission to some of Italy’s best sights can’t be beat. The last time I visited Italy was in 2000 with the Notre Dame Prep High School summer trip, and so far everything is just as grand and as inspiring as I remember it being a decade ago. My top 5 favorite sights on this last trip to Florence are as follows:

1.) Il Duomo of course! The contrast of the white and green marble is aesthetically unique in its detail. Our hostel was pretty close to the Duomo so we got to sit at length on the marble steps and marvel at the atmosphere.

2.) Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge crossing the Fiume Arno. The bridges have always been a highlight of Florence, but the Ponte Vecchio is the only lasting original bridge in the city central area that was not destroyed during World War II. Now it houses jewelry and artisan shops.

3.) The David. There are a few replicas of Michelangelo’s statue of David, one of which is in the Piazza della Signoria right outside the Palazzo Vecchio (pictured below), but the original is housed in the ­­­­Galleria dell’Accademica. There are no photographs allowed of the actual David.

4.) Piazzalo Michelangelo. If you take a bit of a trek up to the Piazzalo Michelangelo you will find the best view of the city. We took up a bottle of Chianti and sat on the steps watching the sunset.

5.) Palazzo Piti. This is one of the major palaces of the Medici family. The various rooms were impressive with their murals, paintings, and tapestries, but the gardens were really the main attraction. There was also a great view of the city from this area as well.

My only disappointment came from hearing so much English speaking everywhere we went. We sat with two American students for lunch one day, and they both agreed that they rarely spoke Italian as all their friends spoke English. It's too bad as we're trying to learn as much Italian as possible, but difficult to speak it to people and actually have a conversation. Even so, we're learning little by little.

Our hostel was one of the best we’ve stayed in yet. It’s called the Hostel Archi Rossi is located down a narrow street that gives way to many of Florence’s feature sights, the closest of which is Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, right near the train station. The best part of this hostel is the free (or included) breakfast, tours, and wireless internet. The tours made all the difference. I’m not usually one for tours, but it was so helpful and informative to have a local show us around. The way they had it set up was so that one day you would tour one side of the river and the next day the other, it was great! I learned so much. My only very small complaint was just in reference to the décor of the hostel. There are paintings all over the walls as you walk in, and a beautiful porch with an awning covered in lilacs, but in the halls leading to the rooms, the hostel lets people write things all over the walls. It sounds interesting and unique, but felt more like one big , long bathroom stall with phrases like “Argentina rules mucho!” and “Resist the corporate brain wash.” It was funny to read everything, but for me, it ruined the charm that the hostel had going for it. Graffiti aside, it was a great place to stay at a nominal price especially during the low season, however even now, it books fast!

We would love to be couchsurfing right now, but have had a lot of trouble finding hosts in Italy. Especially in the bigger cities, it’s my inclination that they get requests all of the time (everybody wants to stay in Italy). Hopefully we find some people to stay with in future cities we visit, because I forgot how expensive Europe is! Next up: Roma! But first, I had to do a whole separate posting on food (of course).

It's all Italiano in Lugano....

Lugano is BEAUTIFUL! We decided to come here on a whim after a suggestion from my friend, Maria (thanks Ria!!), and we’re so glad we did. Lugano had an immediate Italian feel along with all the glorious mountains and Swiss charm we’d seen since we arrived in Switzerland. Mountains and charm aside, Lugano was vastly different from the other cities we visited. It’s hard to believe that so much can change in such a short distance, but it was a warmer more bustling city and everyone was speaking Italian in loud, expressive voices. And here begins what will henceforth be affectionately known as our “Italian Blunders.” We did pretty well on our first night ordering our espresso and gelato. We began with “no parliamo l’italiano,” which started a humorous banter with the bartender who quipped back “anch’io” or “me too.” The next day was not as successful, however, as we stumbled through simple phrases trying not to intertwine the Spanish that still comes so naturally along with Italian. If you think about learning language like kids do, we would still be in the baby stage right now.

The next morning we woke up bright and early to get a train ticket to Milan. The Icelandic ash cloud had stifled travel considerably and we heard that the train to Milan would be difficult to catch. We decided quickly that we needed another full day in Lugano to relax and take a break from train travel. I’m so glad we did. Not only did we need the reprieve, but seeing the city was a lovely and a great transition into Italy. The first thing we did after the train station as go back to our hostel for a nap. When we woke up again the sun was bright in the sky and we were eager to get out and enjoy. Of course, the first thing we did was get some food (our favorite thing to do). We stopped at a little café ristorante for pizza, pasta, and wine and then nearly had to be rolled off the patio as we were so full and lethargic. From there we took a slow walk along the lakefront soaking in the warm sun, and then landed in the park for a couple of hours to read and rest. The park had beautiful spring flowers and really neat looking Dr. Seuss-like trees. We then toured around the city a bit more and then went back to the hostel.

In Lugano, we stayed at the Hostel Montarina, which was very conveniently located right behind the train station with a lovely view of the city and palm trees all around. However, being so close to the train station also meant that you heard the trains coming and going well into the night, not the best for light sleepers. It wasn’t the best in terms of security in my opinion. Although there were lockers to be used with only a 2 CHF deposit, the front door to the hostel lead right into our room of about 8 bunks and seemed to never lock, leaving it open for anyone off the street to walk in. The door from inside the hostel also didn’t lock. So, you can imagine how I felt at about 1:30 a.m. when the darkly dressed, 6 foot man came in the front door and looked around. I couldn’t see that his hat said “security” until he was about 3 feet away from my bed. I nearly crapped my pants. There were private rooms available with much better security, but also at a much higher price.

The time we spent in Lugano was just what we needed. But now, as we approach Italy (our final destination), the reality is sinking in that we are not on vacation rather that we are going to have to try and find work very soon. I am nervous and excited to get to Italy. I wish my Italian was better, maybe I can get up to the toddler level after about a month!

Say "Ja" to Lauterbrunnen

Upon leaving Zurich we planned on heading to Bern and going down to one of the mountain valleys, until one of Yves’ roommates, Bartjan (who is from the region), said no. That was no good. He told us that we needed to exchange our tickets and go from Zurich to Luzern to a place called Lauterbrunnen. He told us that this would give us a much better view of the mountains on the way and then would be the best place to see a lot in the short time we had in the Alps.

So, to Lauterbrunnen we went! And despite being a bit hungover on the train ride (which I don't even know how that happened, we didn't even have that much to drink--besides maybe the flamly) the views were lovely. We stayed in an awesome place called Valley Hostel, the cheapest place in town with a lovely view of the tallest mountain, Jungfrau, and a nice big kitchen, laundry and free wi-fi. The owner, Martha and her son, Stefan are very welcoming, friendly and extremely helpful people willing to point you in the right direction at all times. Martha would not leave for the night until wishing every guest in the common area a good night. If you every want to go to a quaint town in Switzerland either for skiing or hiking, I highly suggest staying at the Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen, (however, Bartjan told us that if you are staying for a while, it is best to stay in Interlaken and then take day trips to towns like Kandersteg and Lauterbrunnen up in the mountains).

We picked the best day for hiking on Saturday. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and the trails were very scenic. Many of the trails were still closed due to snow, so we didn’t get to a very high altitude, but where we did go was very nice. We stopped in the towns of Murren, Gimmelwald, and Steckelberg on the way and then walked back to Lauterbrunnen. We had a picnic on a little grassy ridge overlooking Jungfrau. It was a full day of hiking and our noses got a little burnt, but it was great to be out in the fresh mountain air all day long.

It took us most of the day to get to Lugano, right near the Italian border. Right now I am sitting on my bunk in the Montarina Hostel in Lugano listening to Cat Power. We’re having our first interactions with Italian language, and got through ordering espressos and gelato pretty well! We got here later in the day, so we have more to see (and write about) tomorrow.

From Zurich with Love!

Hallo from Zurich!! After, spending the past two and a half days in Zurich, I have determined that Zurich is one classy place. From the time we arrived and met our couch surfing host at the train station we've seen nothing but hospitality and friendliness from everyone we've met. Our host, Yves, took us all over the city, introduced us to some fine Swiss chocolate (but I guess they would just call it chocolate :), took us to drink some beers at sunset at the local university (Yes! Drinking beer outside, in public without getting in trouble!) and showed us one of his favorite drinks called "flamly" (small flame), a delicious coffee, cognac, brown sugar shot that you set on fire. It's delicious. Also delicious was a typical Swiss dish (for which I forgot the name) that Yves cooked for us on our first night in Switzerland. It's potato, onion, egg, cheese and bacon (pictured below) and it was amazing! Discussing our love of bacon also helped bring us closer to Yves and his roommates. Ah bacon, always bringing people together!

People speak mostly Swiss German in Zurich that is, from what we were told, much different from proper German and often spoken in shorter, choppier words and sentences. Still, people often use French words and phrases intermittently. For example, Yves told us it is just as common to say "merci" than "danke." But mostly, we found that many people speak English.

I've found that Zurich is a very clean city with a great public transit system. Their drinking water is delicious (so clean and so tasty)! And if you plan on coming to Switzerland anytime soon know that leather jackets are really in style, it seemed that everyone, even kids, were wearing them (I hope no one noticed that my "leather" jacket is actually rayon).

Our first few days of travel have been impeccable. Yves' hospitality has been truly exemplary in his amazing kindness toward complete strangers. I just hope I can do the same for other travelers one day. It feels like we've been gone for weeks already, it's hard to believe it hasn't yet been one week.

Next up: The Swiss Alps!

What's in your backpack?

So, as it turns out, it is not easy to pack three (or more) months of stuff into a single backpack. Go figure!

Did you ever play that game in language classes, “what’s in your backpack?” used to help you learn vocabulary? I can remember in Spanish class, many of the items were strange like a harmonica or a banana and you were left asking where the hell is this person going? Well, I can officially say that I am now part of this obscure-backpack-toting-club talked about in lanuage classes, only I don’t know all my vocab yet. Since we don’t know exactly what the future holds my backpack has to hold the following:

• Camping supplies (rifornimenti campeggio) in case we want or have to camp
• Clothes for everyday in Italy (abbigliamento per tutti giorni) Italians have a very high sense of fashion that I will probably not be living up to
• Nicer clothes that can be worn for a job interview (vestiti professionale)
• Crappy clothes in case we get a job shoveling manure (my translator refuses to translate the words shit, crap, manure, or poop—it keeps trying to auto fix and I'm to lazy to consult another source)
• Enough underwear (biancheria personale) and socks to last 3 months +, luckily I bought 30-day underwear, we’ll see how this works out
• Books (libri)
• Guidebooks
• Phrase books
• Journal
• Fiction books
• Camera (macchina fotografica)
• Computer (computer, a cognate!)
• Toiletries enough to last 3 months + (accessori da toeletta)
• Greeting cards (biglietto di auguri) just in case
• Music pipe and recorder so that Erich my play hip hop music on the recorder for money if we become destitute
• Yes, even a banana (banana, another cognate!)

My bag is much more full than Erich’s, too full and much too heavy. I’m still not sure I have what I need. But all in all I am amazed that I could reduce my needs to one backpack. This trip, I can already tell, is going to be great exercise in minimalism.