Rendezvous, Romanella, and the North Pole

"Venice is a Fish"
It's the name of the book that the innkeeper gave me in Venezia.
I stayed at a lovely B&B,
where I was the only guest.
It was so nice and so quiet :)
And he was soooo hospitable!!
Reminded me of the old days back at the good ol' Garden Street Inn :)

Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the book,
got about half way through it though!
(Which is quite an accomplishment for me, as I am self diagnosed reading retarded)
It told me things like:
you shouldn't use a map in Venice,
you should just "get lost" in Venice.
While this was great advice,
it is LITERALLY impossible to get lost in Venice.
It is soooo small,
you can walk through all of Venice in a day (or less actually),
and there are unavoidable signs telling you which direction to go on EVERY wall!
And did you know that the only form of transportation allowed in Venice is by boat?
Obviously it's the easiest mode,
but any sort of bike,
scooter,
or whatever other kinds you can think of are strictly prohibited.
Yup, it's true.
The book told me so.
Regardless, I understood what the book was trying to tell me.
To appreciate and experience Venice beyond the tourist attractions.
Which is just what I did. :)

I arrived on Friday, midday,
and even though I was beyond exhausted from
waking up at 5am,
walking 30 minutes to the train station,
sprinting 100 yards to catch my train that I came deathly close to missing,
and then sitting on a train for 4+ hours...
I was bound and determined to explore this MAGNIFICENT place.
Within an hour of exploring on that first day, I had already snapped about 100 photos,
including the one above.
I am usually not one to toot my own horn...
but I just loooove this photo!
Portrays Venice to a T!

I kind of thought that maybe the movies made Venice and the romance and the gondola rides seem more glamourous than it all actually is...but clearly I was wrong about that.
The gondoliers do actually dress like this...
and they sing if you ask them too... (at the rate of about 50 Euro per song though I think!)
and they stand around all day trying to sweet-talk girls into gondolas...
(or at least sweet-talk the girls into sweet-talking their husbands and boyfriends).

Walking around Venice during the day is no problem.
There are plenty of tourists and people,
enough to make a solo traveller not feel so alone.
At night, however, is a different story.
The romantic atmosphere of the already romantic city is on steroids.
For two hours my first night,
I walked and wandered
to try to find somewhere to eat
where there weren't candles on the tables,
and the meal wouldn't cost me half my life savings.
But to no avail.
The first night,
I wound up dining in an overly expensive restaurant where there were in fact candles on the tables.
It was either that, or a restaurant that had a built in mini-casino.
No thanks.

The next day, I woke up early to take a trip to a small island off the coast called,
BURANO!
I had researched some things to do in Venice before my trip,
and there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity to visit this glorious place.
Upon arriving on this nearly microscopic island,
I was slapped in the face with
the smell of baked goods, clean laundry, and a color explosion.
Easily three of my favorite things.

It's like a lifesize Candyland!

Had to take a solo tourist pic...

so cool.

SO MANY COLORSSSSS.

I'm not kidding when I say that it is very, very, small though...
one hour was more than enough to see it all.

The second night,
I had a little more luck.
With the help of Frommer's Venice recommendations
(btw I am beginning to loooove Frommer's...
if you are ever needing to buy a travel book, definitely go with Frommer's)
I found a small trattoria/pizzeria,
with opaque windows,
where passersby couldn't convey to me pitiful looks that I was subject to the night before,
and that I was so desperately trying to ignore.
Happily, I DEVOURED a whole "4 Formaggi" pizza.
And two glasses of wine.
Why not?

After dinner, I decided to walk a bit,
just because I wanted to digest,
and because it was only 9:00,
and I didn't want to validate the pitiful looks I continued to receive
by returning to my hotel room before even the old folk called it a night.

So I walked a bit and followed scents, sounds, and people,
and found myself in a piazza not far from my hotel,
where there was a massive gathering of young Venezians, music, booze, and cigarettes.
I perused the piazza for a low key bar where I could grab a quick drink,
but I was honestly intimidated a bit by all of it.
Standing room only in the bars,
and I really, really, didn't want to feel like a loner with no one to talk to.
So, reluctantly, I decided to call it a night,
and began to head back to my hotel.
But, just as I rounded a corner onto a quieter "calle",
I heard someone behind me calling out, "Ciao, scusa!?"
Hesitantly, I turned and looked for just one second,
and was surprised when I saw a familiar young man behind me.
It was a boy I had ignored earlier that evening when he waved at me,
assuming he was just another Italian creep.
Well, I was close,
he was a French creep!
He told me that he saw me walking three times that day,
and had just decided that he had to talk to me,
so...he chased me down an alley,
and there we were.
I agreed to one drink.

His name was Stefan,
from France.
And he really wasn't a creep...he was sweet.
And he talked,
and talked,
and talked,
and talked some more.
And to be completely honest,
I couldn't understand a majority of what he said.
He spoke very fast in English,
and with a French accent,
but it almost seemed to me that some of his "English" words were actually part French.
So, I nodded along and hoped he didn't comprehend the confused look on my face.
He insisted I try a drink called a "Spritz",
which he said was a "true Venetian drink".

We talked for a couple of hours,
as he blew cigarette smoke into my face and hair.
It was oh-so-romantic.
And then suddenly, he said he had to go,
but that he wanted to meet me the next day.
We agreed on a time and a place,
and parted ways.
That night, I went to bed smelling like a true Venetian,
spritz, smoke, and the undefinable smell of the canals.
It was just fabulous.

The next day we met,
and wandered around Venice for a little while.
We went to a bar where you could write on the walls.



I took some more photos,
of gondolas...



and pigeons...?



Doesn't that pigeon look morbidly obese to you?
They ALL look like that!!
I don't know if it's because they get fed all day by the tourists...
who seem to have a strange obsession with allowing pigeons to perch on their arms, and heads...?
Or maybe they have extra body fat because it's so damn cold in Venice.
I don't know. Either way...
It's so gross.

And then, once again we parted ways.
I'm not sure if I'll ever see that fast-talking, brisk-walking French boy again,
but it was a fun and unexpected couple of days, that I definitely won't forget.

Leaving Venice and heading back to Nettuno,
I made a quick decision to visit a friend in Milano.
I wanted to see Milan before I left Italy,
and I was running out of time to visit before he headed back to the sunshine state.
I quickly realized it was for good reason too...Milan might as well be named the North Pole.

It was so cold in Milan,
that we literally had to take "breaks" from being outside...
finding warm cafe's and shops to jump into so that our hands wouldn't go numb.
On the train ride not far outside of Milan, we saw snow...
SNOW...
in case you didn't hear me the first time.

I was in no way prepared for the bone chilling temperatures we experienced.
Not physically, not mentally, NOT. AT. ALL.

OK so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic...
it wasn't that bad. 

The Duomo was beautiful,

it really was as just amazing as it looks on Wikipedia.

And the shopping in Milan is out of this world.
Store after store after store of clothes and items that I could never afford...
but fun to look at. :)
And aperativo!
Aperativo is very common in northern Italy-
it's like happy hour, but better.
You can go to pretty much any bar,
order a drink,
and you get free, unlimited appetizers!!!
Buffet style!!
Why didn't American's think of that??
Oh ya, because we're cheap,
and money hungry.
Stupid Americans.

While I was in Milan,
I also went on this kind of crazy psycho mission to find Italian leather boots.
My cheap American Old Navy boots had officially become worn-out.
I literally wore a hole through them...
which definitely wasn't helping my already freezing feet.
So I searched, and searched, and searched...
and when I finally thought I may have found the perfect boots...
the unthinkable happened...
BUM...
BUM...
BUM!!!
I broke the boots!!! :-O
How do you even break boots??
Well, apparently it's possible...and it's not that hard.
I was pulling the zipper up on a beautiful pair of brown leather boots,
when it got just a liiiiittle stuck.
I gave it a liiiiiittle tug...
and the zipper popped right off.
I wanted to cry.
I didn't even have any idea what to do.
I went over to the shopkeeper,
(who was an asshole by the way...scuse' my French...but he was)
who looked at me with dismay,
took the boot from my hand,
quickly examined it,
then threw it down on his workstation.
That was my cue to leave.
Sorry dude, but maybe you shouldn't make boots that are so easy to break.
C'mon.
Cristina and her friends have been teaching me bad words in Italian,
and recently they taught me a phrase:
"Mortacci Tua!"
Means something like F*** off!
When I told Cristina the story,
she told me this would have been the perfect opportunity to practice my new vocab...
but I was too busy turning beet red and trying not to cry...haha.

Don't you fret though,
in the end,
it all worked out.
I ended up purchasing a beauuuutiful pair of boots from a very nice lady,
who even offered to use a special machine to stretch the leather around the top of the boots so that they fit around my abnormally sized soccer calves!!!
I proudly took her up on the offer,
in case you were wondering. :)

So, I left the North Pole with the perfect pair of boots.
But, perfect boots and all,
 I have to say that Milan was definitely not my favorite place I have visited.
Maybe it was the weather...
or the way the people seemed to have a certain arrogance about them...
(cough*broken boots man*cough)
or the intimidating storefronts of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada.
I'm not really sure.
But I was without a doubt happy to return to Nettuno, and Roma... :)

The next day,
one of my oldest friends came to visit me in Roma.
She's studying in Florence at the moment,
and wanted to take a quick trip down to Rome.
We decided to stay one night in Nettuno with Cristina, and have a dinner with her friends,
and then stay the next night in Rome, so that we could have the night to explore.

On Friday night, we went to a nearby town called "Ariccia",
which is famous for a delicious wine called "Romanella".
We had a FEAST!!
I have adapted the "take the back seat" approach when we go out to eat,
because it is impossible not to trust Italians when it comes to menus and food.
They absolutely know what they are doing.
Our meal consisted of:
plate after plate after plate...after plate of meats and cheeses and bread.
Prosciutto, salami, mozzarella di bufala, porchetta, dried meats, meats I had never even heard of...
For a while, there was literally no end in sight.
Just when I thought we were done, they brought out another platter.
It was incredible.





THEN-
came the dinner choices!!
Choices like carbonara, fettuccine with mushrooms, ragu, all the perfect pastas.
I was in pasta heaven.
And of course, there was wine.
As I mentioned before, Romanella is a common wine of the region.
It is a sweet, red wine, that is "frizzante", aka- sparkling.
It's almost like prosecco and red wine mixed together...
pure bliss.



It was a beautiful dinner,
and a beautiful night,
full of laughter, sing-a-longs, and food-babies.

The next day,
we ventured into Roma, and did what else...
but take jumping photos in front of the Colosseum.
C'mon guys,
did you really think I was going to come to Rome and not take a jumping photo in front of the Colosseo???



100% AMERICAN.
And 100% proud of it!! HAHA!
We spent the whole day touring around all of Roma's most beautiful monuments...
Fontana di Trevi,
Piazza di Spagna,
the Pantheon,
and of course,
we made a visit to my good friend Cesaretto at my favorite trattoria,
Fiaschetteria Beltramme!

Remember that place I wrote about when I first arrived in Roma?
Where I met the man who insisted I eat more,
and insisted on paying for my meal?
Well...I have been back to that place a total of 4 times now.
I have not seen that man since the first time,
(which is probably a good thing- he was maybe just a little crazy)
but the sweet Italian family running the restaurant definitely knows me now. :)
They know where I like to sit,
and what I like to eat,
and I don't think that they actually know my name,
but I can assure you that they will before I leave in two weeks.

Once again,
a beautiful dinner,
and a beautiful night filled with invigorating Italian energy.
After which, my friend and I retired to this oh-so-romantic 5 STAR hotel room...



So...funny story...
I had no idea I was booking at a five star hotel when I made the reservation on hotels.com.
I just booked it based on the photos looking nice, and the amazing location...
and of course, they had listed a very great rate for the night.
When we arrived we were very surprised to see a sign outside the hotel:
Residenza Frattina
*****
My friend said,
"You booked us a 5-star hotel room??"
"Wow...I did...??" I replied.
We were greeted at the reception,
and the woman informed us that they had booked us in a very nice room!
"Great!!" we both exclaimed...
"With a big bed!" she said.
"Perfect!" again we said...
"A big, round bed..."
hahahahahahahahahah
We couldn't keep from laughing!
So, we spent the night in what they probably call "the lover's suite"...
or some other ridiculous romantic name...
laughing at the irony of it all,
but not complaining one bit.
Gotta love hotels.com.

The rest of the week I spent relaxing back in Nettuno,
enjoying the warm weather...
(to me 55 degrees is warm now...anything is warm after you visit the North Pole...)
and anxiously awaiting until I wake up on Monday and am finally reunited with my mama and auntie!
I am SO excited to see the more of Italy with two of my best friends!!

And then,
I will be headed home.
Back to the sand and sun,
and BURRITOS.
I think something is seriously wrong with me...
I think about burritos and mexican food more than you can ever imagine.
I'm talking like, all day, every day.
I think my brain...and stomach...are telling me that I may never be able to leave California again.
Which I think would make my mother very happy...

Ok wellllllp I think I've rambled more than enough for one blog post,
although, I'm sad to say that I think this may be my last one! :(
The next two weeks are going to fly by,
and I am so excited that I will be spending them touring and traveling with two of my favorite people. :)
I maaaaayyyyy be persuaded to write a post-homecoming blog,
as I'm sure I will have plenty more stories to tell after the Tuttle girls blaze their way through Italy...
;)
But, for now, from Italy, I think that this is it!!
I hope you all have enjoyed my tales and travels as much as I have,
writing about all of it has been so much fun...
even though I'm not even really certain that anyone is reading it!! :-P
But, if you are one of those crazy folk with too much spare time on your hands,
thanks for tagging along :)
And, for one last time...

PEACE
LOVE
&
PASTA
from Italia!!!

CIAO
<3

Roma, Ti Amo!

It's official,

I have fallen in love with Rome.

Head over heels,

in love and lust,

this city gives me butterflies.

I love everything about it.

I love the way everybody is moving so quickly all the time,

but somehow the pace of life still seems like it is set in slow-mo.

I love the fact that you can hear cheesy 

(yet still somehow charming and romantic)

 music playing down every street.

I LOVE how Rome transforms at night,

when all the tourists have retreated to their hotels,

and the true Romans come out to play. 

I am even beginning to accept (but definitely not love)

having cigarette smoke blown in my face all the time. 

Never thought I would ever utter those words...

but when you can't change some things,

you just have to accept them for what they are, right?

Although I'm not quite ready to accept the fact that I only have one month left of this incredible journey...  

:(

I feel like I am just barely beginning to get my feet wet.

And I am just barely beginning to feel what it would feel like to have a life here.

I'm just not ready for it to end. 

But, I also know that when one door closes, 

another one is bound to open...

it always does.

Opportunity is always out there,

but we have to actively seek it out.

We can't simply sit around waiting for it to come to us. 

Alright, well that's enough of that. 

The last time I wrote was on Christmas eve, 

so much has happened since then!! 

(Mostly eating, of course!!...hahahaha)

Let's see...

there was Christmas...

with a total of FOUR celebratory feasts.

#1: At her grandmother's house.

An all fish meal, my favorite!!!...

ha.

On Christmas Eve in Italy, you should not eat meat...only fish.

We had shrimp salad,

fish lasagna,

some other fish entree,

and then what else,

but more fish!!

Luckily this beautiful and scrumptious dessert was fish-less.

It is a typical Christmas dessert,

with some sort of alcoholic cream filling, and chocolate chips.

After dessert, we played a game of Uno.

The most competitive game of Uno I have ever seen...

Italians take their card games very seriously.

Completely and totally ruthless.

I have to admit, 

I kinda sorta love it.

OH- Also, they celebrate Christmas at midnight on Christmas Eve!

Something I was unaware of...

until the clock struck midnight on Christmas Eve,

and an all out kiss-fest commenced.

I was kissed so many times that I am pretty sure my cheeks turned pink.

The sophisticated European kisses, I mean...

You know,

the muah, muah,

left cheek, right cheek.

If I accidently do this when I see you back in the states,

I'm sorry,

force of habit now.

It's kinda fun though, maybe someday it will catch on in the US.

Lunch #2 took place at our house,

and was much smaller,

with only her two sisters and their husbands.

We had an phenomenal lunch,

(no fish this time!!)

with salami, olives, cheeses,

fettuccine with mushrooms,

some sort of turkey-like meat,

and my fabulous flourless chocolate cake. :)

Followed by what else,

but more card games!!!

(I'm getting really good at Uno...in case you were wondering.)

We had lunch and dinner #3 and 4 at Cristina's aunts beautiful house!

POLENTA!!! 

One of my new favorite dishes for sure.

Bet you can't guess what we did next...

UNOOOOOO!!!!!

I have never played as much Uno in my life, as I have in Italy. 

So I should probably warn all my friends-

when I come home, expect to partake in my new favorite pastime. 

And don't feel bad if you get your butt kicked...

I'll go easy on you guys. ;)

For New Year's eve, 

Cristina had her amazing and sweet cousins visiting from Calabria,

another city south of Rome. 

We had a beautiful day on New Year's eve,

walking all around the town and down to the harbor,

with the sun shining all day long.

We saw the sunset over the beach of Anzio,

the last sunset of 2011.

It was such a peaceful day.

I don't think I've ever had a better New Year's eve.

Then, there was New Years dinner!!!

Luckily (for my waistline) we had only one (VERY LARGE) feast.

We had a potluck, and everyone brought different dishes-

a smorgasbord of tasty treats:

lasagna, pork, chicken, and rice with shrimp.

 (Prepared by her boyfriend Fabio, which I actually thoroughly enjoyed!!)

My responsibility was the chicken...

although I don't think I actually laid a finger on it the whole time....haha.

Raw meat really freaks me out...

a completely irrational fear, I know.

But as you can see below,

that was no problem.

Cristina gladly took care of the chicken.

She jumped at the chance to stick her hand in it's butt,

and then held it up to make it dance.

She had more fun with that little chicken than I think anyone has ever had with a chicken before.

After dinner, we decided to head to Rome, to see the fireworks at the Colosseum at midnight.

I was so excited, it sounded like so much fun!!

But, we didn't quite anticipate the traffic and the parking situation near the Colosseum,

so as the clock struck midnight,

our caravan of three cars pulled over on the side of the road and had our own celebration.

We popped open a bottle of champagne, ate some delicious holiday cake, and had a dance party!

We got lots of honks from several passersby,

and we saw fireworks going off in every possible direction.

It was totally unplanned, unexpected, and in every way spectacular.

We danced, and laughed, and sang until we could barely breathe. 

So. Much. Fun. :)

It was completely different than any New Year's Eve I have ever had before,

but I loved every minute of it.

After our street side dance party, 

we finally headed to the Colosseo.

By this time many people had left and there was plenty of parking.

I was very excited to see what the atmosphere would be like at the Colosseum,

because I really had no idea what to expect.

And then...

when we finally got there,

all I wanted to do was turn around and go home!!

From a distance it was glamourous,

but as we got closer,

I realized just what we had gotten ourselves into.

There were drunk people everywhere,

VERY, VERY drunk people,

throwing glass champagne bottles and fireworks into crowds of people.

Dangerous would be an understatement...

So,

we did one lap around the Colosseum,

and then headed home.

We were probably there for a total of 15 minutes,

but it felt like it took us 2 hours.

I just wanted to get outta there!!! 

The next day we stuck to a much safer activity...

(although not the safest activity for clumsy souls, like myself...)

we went ice skating!

(Much to my own surprise, I didn't break any bones...thank god!)

The first two laps around the ice rink,

I held onto the railing for dear life.

And then, I realized that ice skating is like riding a bike!

All those pre-teen birthday parties at the Palos Verdes ice rink really paid off!!

I didn't fall, not even once!

Also, I had forgotten just how fun ice skating is...

By the end of our hour and a half session I was laughing so hard I had to use my inhaler...

it was that fun.

God I am so cool.

Lastly,

WE GOT A DOG!!!

For one day...hahaha.

We named her Alli for the day! :)

She was beautiful.

Scared, but very sweet.

She followed Cristina's sisters husband, Emilliano, home from work one day.

But the next day, Emilliano returned to work to find a missing dog sign posted.

So that was that.

She and the owner were very happy to be reunited.

And she was also happy to be called by her real name...

Daisy :)

She kinda looks like me,

dontcha think?? ;)

She was a cutie-pie for sure,

but,

I just don't think that any dog could ever beat my brown baby back home.

Just look at that face!! 

Just one more month until we are reunited <3

Ok my marvelous friends,

the time has come...

to go eat some more!!! Muahahaha

On the menu for today:

fresh arugula salad,

with cherry tomatoes,

fresh mozzarella,

a pinch of salt,

EVOO,

and balsamic vinegar.

MMMMMMMMM :)

Until next time...

peace, love <ROMA> and pasta

<3

CIAO!!

ps- quick sidenote:

I just stumbled upon this quote that I thought was very share-worthy:

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." by Alexander Supertramp

[don't forget to live like this]

xo

Buon Natale, da Italia!

MERRY MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Well, Christmas Eve, actually,
but close enough. :)

Cristina and I spent the whole entire morning baking Christmas cookies!!

And I am happy to report that it's finally feeling a little bit more like Christmas to me. :)

After a morning of baking and decorating cookies, how could it not!?

(Michael Bublé and the Glee Cast may have helped out a bit too...)

MmMmMmM cookies!!

(That one on the right down below is just not feelin' the xmas love I guess...)

And maybe the weather has something to do with it...who knows.

It's raining in Nettuno today,
crossing my fingers that it gets cold enough tonight to snow!!!
How cool would that be!?
To wake up to snow on Christmas morning??
That would be a first for me.
But also kinda hoping it doesn't,
because I already can't feel my fingers!!
(And my feet sometimes too...)
I know that for those of us originating from the sunshine state,
(more specifically sunny-so-cal...)
what we consider "weather" refers to a light rainstorm,
the very occasional thunderstorm,
with the temp never going below about 45.
Lowest.
I didn't even know what below 45 degrees felt like.

I DO NOW.
Holy guacamole...
I have ripped apart and stomped on my previous definition of weather.
Ya. I think I am qualified to redefine it now.
You know in that movie "Under the Tuscan Sun",
when the main character has to ride out her first night in her new house in a ridiculous storm that seems crazy supernatural and only possible in the movies?
It's completely possible.
Just like I didn't know what "real" pasta tasted like before I came to Italy,
I have recently learned that I didn't know what a "real" storm was before now also.
I have never heard thunder so loud. EVER.
I'm talking like, rattle your bones,
feel it in your blood,
all the way into your spine,
LOUD.

Last Sunday, I took a trip into Rome because I wanted to visit a market.
Porta Portese.
It's the BIGGEST market in Rome.
Held every Sunday.
And they literally have anything and everything you could ever possibly need.
It's pretty incredible.
But anyways,
so I left the house very early to catch an early train to Rome.
When I left the house,
clouds were looming, but it hadn't started raining yet.

But by the time I reached the end of Cristina's street,
my boots were soaked through to my socks.
Any normal person would have probably turned around and headed home at that point...
but I guess I had my crazy hat on that day,
and I kept going.
 I was seriously determined to get to this market.
Then, literally within about 3 minutes,
I saw a bolt of lightning...
obviously quickly followed by my new noisy BFF.
Louder than ever.
And as if it could get any worse...
because I seriously thought it couldn't,
it started hailing.
Yup. That happened.
You can choose to believe this, or not,
but I kept going.

I couldn't feel my feet,
my cheap American umbrella was barely holding up,
and I couldn't even count "one Mississippi" in between the lightning and thunder.
I was literally trekking through the middle of a storm.
I found myself singing this song in my head-
Bob Marley: Three Little Birds.
Repeating over and over,
"Don't worry about a thing,
'cause every little thing is gonna be alright."
I think at one point I literally thought I was going to die.
I was convinced that I was going to get struck by lightning and shrivel up in the street.

But, luckily, for you all, I survived.
So you all still get to hear my ridiculous stories! :) ha.
And when I arrived in Rome, there was no rain, lightning, thunder, or hail to be found!
Don't know quite how that worked out,
but those kinds of things are best left unquestioned.

And, the market ended up being totally worth it!
I made it outta there with a bunch of superSECRETchristmasPRESENTS!
hehehe :)



Another reason it was worth it-
we saw a fight!!!
YA!
It was pretty wild! And just the slightest bit scary. But mostly cool.
(I think that I may be just a bit jaded to public fights after seeing more bar fights than I can count.)

Aaaaalright, well on that note...
I'm going to cut this blog short,
because it's Christmas Eve,
and I'm sure you all have much more important things to do.
Like preparing topics other than the weather to talk about with your in-laws.
As for me,
I'm going to go listen to some more Michael Bublé.
How can you not get in the Christmas spirit while listening to his x-mas album!?
I knew there was a reason it has been at iTunes #1 album spot for the past month.
Also, I need brainstorm ways to stretch out my stomach so that I can eat non-stop for the next four days!! Muahahaha :)

So, I'll leave you all with just a few photos to recap the week:

Cri showing her goose some love.

She asked me if I wanted to pet it,

so I did.

But the whole time I was shakin' in my boots because I thought the thing was gonna turn and peck my face off.

I went back to that delicious trattoria that I ate at during my first few days in Rome,

unfortunately I didn't see my rich friend there this time ;).

But I ordered some heavenly gnocci that I probably would have sold my soul for.

So it was worth it.

It was Cristina's sister's birthday this week!

Cristina made a delicious cake and decorated it,

it was the star of the show.

Her sister's husband Emiliano was some stiff competition though.

The whole gang.

Oh ya! And I got my vin brulé!!

That lady from last time was there again,

and she was just a big of a bitch this time as last time.

('Scuse my French)

I, again, politely asked for the vin brulé.

"You want what???"

She smirked,

acting like she had no idea what I was asking for.

I said vin brulé again, and pointed to the huge barrel front of me.

"HOT WINE!?" 

She yelled.

"YESSSSS!!"

I screamed back.

She got the picture.

And I got my vin brulé. :)

Despite the near freezing temperatures,

I have still managed to make my way to the beach quite often.

Watching the waves and watching the sunset,

with the whole beach to myself.

 Brings peaceful to a whole new level.

And I think the geese are finally starting to like me.

They sit outside my room all day,

pecking at the glass and

 pooping outside my door.

A true sign of affection.

Ok friends,

I'm off to go stuff my face with delicious Italian Christmas food and treats for the next four days.

I hope you all are having a lovely, splendid holiday.

Merry Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

See you in 2012!!

xoxo

AT

Escapades in Napoli and Christmas at the Colosseum

I SURVIVED NAPOLI!!!

I think that I deserve a t-shirt for it.

You know,

like those shirts that they sold when the Northridge earthquake hit?

The ones that said "I survived the Northridge Quake"...

only it would say:

"I survived Napoli, 2011!"

If you have ever been to Naples, 

you know what I mean.

My experience in Napoli can be summed up like this:

from the second I stepped off the train into the station,

I felt like I needed a shower.

I could literally feel dirt particles attaching themselves to my skin and soaking into my pores.

And the smell....

was like nothing I have ever smelled.

A mix of delicious food and ocean air,

masked by car exhaust, cigarette smoke, body odor, and a few other unidentifiable smells.

I didn't have many expectations heading to Naples,

but I definitely wasn't expecting that.

Also, I was warned by Cristina and her friends immediately as we stepped off the train,

to be very, very careful of my personal belongings.

This I had expected,

as I have heard and read that Naples can be a bit dodgy in that way.

Ok, so aside from those few minor details, 

Naples was great! 

Immediately upon arriving, we headed straight to a local Pasticceria,

where Cristina had me try a typical Neapolitan pastry:

Baba- a rum soaked pastry.

When I say soaked, I mean literally soaked.

Don't get me wrong, it was beyond delicious,

but I couldn't get the taste of rum out of my mouth for hours.

Then, after meeting up with some of Cristina's long lost cousins,

we all journeyed on to a magnificent castle, by the sea.

This castle has been standing since the year 1279!!!!

The architecture was incredible, 

and I couldn't believe how beautiful all of the detailed carvings were.

However, we didn't go past the entryway...

entering into the castle would cost you 7 Euro...

and I was with a large group of Italians...

need I say more?

Apparently some people don't appreciate beautiful architecture as much as I do.

Look at this huge hole in this beautiful door.

One of the rowdy tourists must have been really pissed when he found out he had to pay to get in...

haha JK. 

It was probably a cannon or something. ;)

We stopped to look around this beautiful glass ceilinged building.

There was a christmas tree with tons of Christmas wish lists hung all around it.

 They all said things like "world peace", or "end world hunger"...

I'm kidding.

I couldn't read them...duh! They were written in Italian.

But they probably said things like

"I want a Wii", or "I want my geese to lay eggs."

I thought this photo deserved to be blown up to the "extra-large" size.

I think you'll agree.

Naples is surrounded by beautiful harbors,

and Mt. Vesuvius.

Wikipedia says that Mt. Vesuvius is considered "one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world"...

maybe I should tell that to the people who built their houses at the bottom of it...?

And what would a trip to Napoli be without PIZZA!

I ordered the "Champignon", with Mushrooms, tomatoes, mozzerella, and basil.

Without a doubt the best pizza I have ever had, ever.

And I will have you know that I ate EVERY LAST BITE of that pizza.

After our pizza we strolled outside to be greeted by this beautiful sunset.

And here is another beautiful harbor.

After taking this photo I realized that Naples must be truly beautiful,

because I can't take a decent photo to save my life,

but all of my photos from this trip somehow turned out looking quite amazing.

And OH! I almost forgot!

The whole reason for our trip Napoli in the first place!!

These were quite a sight.

Each year there is a Christmas market in Naples,

where hundreds of vendors and thousands of people gather.

They hand-craft and sell these intricate nativity scenes.

It is truly an extraordinary sight.

They are much more than just a common nativity scene you can find in the US.

They are carefully thought out and put together,

with the objective of representing not only the Catholic Christmas story,

but also Italian culture as a whole.

In addition to the complete sets,

they sell individual pieces,

so that families can collect them over time and put together their own scene each year.

This is the massive crowd that gathered while we were there.

In the narrow streets of Napoli,

at points it became so jam-packed that we were literally being moved through the crowd by the force of people pushing us from all angles.

Definitely one of the most claustrophobic spaces I have ever been in.

And this?

This, is struffoli!!

Another Neapolitan recipe,

but Cristina insisted that her mother's recipe

 was much better than the 4 Euro plates they sold on the streets of Naples,

so, we patiently waited until returned home to try hers.

And I must say, it was just as delicious as it looks!!

So, that pretty much sums up our trip to Napoli!

I think it's safe to say that I got a goooood taste of Neapolitan culture...

enough to linger on my clothes from the day for at least a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I spent a beautiful day in Rome!

After a few days of off and on rain, 

I was confident enough in the weather forecast that the sun would be a'shining! 

(Although as I am discovering, the weather forecast is only accurate about 50% of the time...)

I arrived in Rome around lunch time,

but before I tended to the needs of my hungry stomach,

I was bound and determined to see the Pantheon.

Here's what happened...

after some slight confusion on the Metro,

(i.e. took the wrong line, in the wrong direction...

there's only two lines btw...so I had a 50/50 shot)

I was walking,

walking,

walking...

passed some cool ivy...

and then...

BAM!!

There is was!!

No directions,

no maps, 

just walking, 

until out of nowhere it just...appeared.

It was prettttty amazing.

Here's the hole in the ceiling...

where according to Cristina,

it never rains.

I'm convinced there is glass over it,

but she says she knows for a fact that there isn't.

So, I guess it's just magic, or something?

After I had basked in enough victory of my accomplishment of finding the Pantheon,

I went to the nearby Piazza Navona,

where they have a festive Christmas market,

candy,

games,

and this-

Vin Brule!

(Mulled wine)

But (just my luck) when I asked the woman behind the counter for a glass,

she loudly proclaimed:

"We don't have that!"

Then why are you advertising it lady!?

That's what I wanted to say...

But instead, disappointed and confused, I said "OK?",

and was on my way.

When it finally came time to tend to my stomach,

I wandered into a restaurant nearby,

and was surprised when I sat down and saw this.

(Thought you would appreciate that mama!) :)

The restaurant did not have the name advertised on the outside,

so it was solely by chance that I picked a restaurant with "Coco" in it's name.

Funny how these things happen in life, huh?

After lunch I wandered around Roman neighborhoods for hours,

in and out of the coolest stores,

hidden jems, you could say.

I found a neighborhood full of vintage thrift shops!

And, as you can imagine, felt the overwhelming need to buy at least one thing,

so that I could brag that I bought it at a vintage shop in Rome!

So, I settled on a beautiful, silk scarf.

It was a bargian too,

only 10 Euro!

Quickly after leaving the store,

I pulled my scarf out to admire my purchase,

only to find that as I looked a little closer,

there were coffee stains on it! :(

Yes, disappointment had struck for the second time that day.

But, I decided not to take the scarf back.

I just sucked it up and thought,

"well, at least its Italian coffee!"

:)

Finally, as the day was winding down,

and I could barely feel my legs anymore from walking for 6 straight hours,

I managed to make it to the Colosseum just in time to see this...

The sun setting over the Colosseum.

After my last visit, I didn't think the Colosseum could get any more beautiful...

but man was I wrong.

It almost doesn't look real!!

Never in a million years did I imagine that I would be watching the sun set over the Colosseum at Christmas time...

I wish I could teleport all my family and friends to this moment.

It was so magical. :)

I took the train home with Cristina at the end of the day,

and, of course, had one last funny thing happen.

The train was very, very crowded,

so Cristina and I were sitting in separate aisles, but nearby.

As she got up to get off the train

(she exited a few stops ahead of me because she rode her bike to a different train stop that day),

she quickly mentioned something to me about waffles...

not quite sure where the thought came from,

but she said that she was told that American waffles are gross.

I quickly came to the defense of one of my favorite foods,

and said something like,

"you just haven't tried the right ones!"

She agreed, and before exiting the train made a quick comment about a man's iPhone, 

who was sitting next to me.

"I don't like..", she said, with a funny look on her face.

I laughed a little, and then she left.

Immediately after, 

the man sitting next to me turned to me and said in fluent English,

"I don't think she meant to insult your waffles..."

!!!

I started laughing, and said,

"Actually, I think she did! But I don't take it personally!"

I was laughing on the inside and out,

first because of his comment about the waffles,

and second because Cristina had just insulted his phone right in front of him...hahaha.

(Although I'm not entirely sure he caught on to that one...)

Anyways, we got to talking,

and he told me that he is British, living in Anzio (the next town over from Nettuno),

and has moved here to be with his Italian girlfriend.

(So romantic!)

He was very nice, and it was so nice to be able to talk with someone in plain English, 

without having any communicative confusion.

It was truly like a breath of fresh air.

So, that was that.

We said "see ya round!", and he was off.

So, my dear family and friends,

on that note,

I hope that you all take a moment today to appreciate that you don't have to worry about a language barrier between you and the barista at your coffee shop,

or the grocery store clerk,

or even your dog.

Because trust me,

your native language is one of those things that you don't appreciate,

 until nobody around you speaks it!

So my friends,

until my next awkward encounter...

Peace, love, and (delicious Neapolitan) Pizza!!!!

<3 Arrivederci!