The Last Hoorah

Rodos, Greece

Ok, well maybe that is a little mellowdramatic, but let's put it this way: I am home from my last trip outside of Italy before returning to the U.S.  I didn't tell you I was going to Greece?  Probably because it was a last minute trip for me as well and as you can see by the number of postings this month, April has been all go, go, go.  My Spring Break and Victoria's trip happened to match up so we, as well as three of her friends, were able to meet in Rhodes, Greece for a couple of days.  I arrived Monday and returned home Thursday.  Although it was a short trip and the weather conditions may not have been ideal for an island vacation, I was thrilled to be able to see my sister for a third time this year.

Haraki, where we stayed.

We were witness, once again, to the fact that traveling during the "off" season can be both a blessing and a curse.  Tourist season officially starts May 1st on the island of Rhodes and it was apparent in the shops, restaurants, buses and more.  On the bright side, our accommodations (2 little condos and Victoria and I got one to ourselves!) were extremely less than during tourist season.  On the other hand, restaurants weren't at their finest.
After our first dinner we learned that just because it is on the menu, that doesn't mean that they have it in the kitchen!  No traditional Greek food (!), no cheese for fried cheese balls, a make shift Greek salad because they ran out of ingredients and lastly, no bread for the tzatziki we already ordered!  We were generally good sports about it and laughed it off, but throughout the course of the trip we found this to be quite normal because of the time of year.

We took advantage of our first day by spending it on the beach of the tiny town of Haraki.  It turned out to be the only day with both sun and warm temperatures!  We were so thankful we spent it on the beach instead of missing our opportunity!  We rented a car the next day and took a scenic drive around the island and with a couple of stops, including the whitewashed, traditional, Greek city of Lindos.  This city is exactly what I have always pictured Greece to be and I can't wait to go back in a couple of years and see more of it on the island of Santorini!  Our last morning in Greece, Victoria and I got up in the hopes of driving up to a mountain view that is said to be the most beautiful in all of Greece.  Unfortunately, the sky was overcast and the mountains were covered in a thick layer of fog.  Instead we decided to hike to a castle on the hill within walking distance to where we were staying in Haraki.  Although it wasn't our original plan, we got a beautiful view nonetheless as well as a long walk together and more time for talking.

Haraki beach from the castle on the hill.

It was wonderful to have Victoria there in person to be able to discuss my future after graduation and what seems like an abyss of..."unknowness" and uncertainty.  With the last final of my entire education only a month away, this seems to be one of the most prominent things on my mind lately.  There is never a better person than your best friend to be able to talk about the future with.

The traditional, Greek whitewashed city of Lindos

Sister time in Lindos

Even though I wasn't with family this Easter, I was able to spend it with my new church family from Chiesa Logos.  After church we went to Rose's house for Easter lunch, and with the knowledge of going home in only five short weeks I was able to completely enjoy myself and leave melancholy and nostalgia behind.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:5-6
Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua!

Aprile e i Miei Genitori

A weekend at Fabio's grandparent's house in the Mountains.

What a whirlwind of a month April has been!  It began with an overnight trip to the mountains with my Italian friends from church for Rose’s birthday.  I was extremely nervous to step out and go on an overnight with a group of Italian friends, but at the same time I was so excited to finally be fitting myself into my own life and not just what I have been given by my school.  It is frustrating not to be able to express myself and jump into the conversations so that people can get to know me, but I can see my language skills (my comprehension at least) continue to grow each time I spend time with them.  It also frustrates me that I have just begun to get connected with a church and Italian friends only a few months before I will return to the United States, but I understand that this was all a part of God’s plan for me and I can see why as well.

The Monday began the peak of second semester midterm stress and culminated in five exams in a four day span and then my immediate departure for Rome after my last test.  My reward for the successful completion of my midterms was my reunion with my parents for a week and a half vacation after almost 8 months apart. 

Roma Highlight:  Spending Saturday in the Rome’s “Central Park,” Villa Borghese, laying on the grass reading, tanning and listening to music as blossoms floated from the trees.

Piccolo Abruzzo

This was followed by the best dinner of my parent’s visit at a restaurant called Piccolo Abruzzo, a restaurant I would highly suggest (as it was suggested to my parents) to anyone who ever spends any amount of time in Rome!

Solo antipasti!

We greatly appreciated the fact that the meal was a set menu after days of so many successive decisions. 

He loved it.

And so our two and a half hour meal commenced.  We began with Chianti wine that was funneled into the bottle from the barrel right next to our table and an antipasta course (appetizers) which was large enough to be our whole meal in and of itself.  This was followed by hot vegetables and then a round of pasta in which the chef placed the skillet in front of my dad as his serving.  (This was an event, not just dinner!) 

This was succeeded by a plate of gnocchi which in turn was followed by a course of meat with potato pieces.  By this point we were taking a bite here and there to be polite and taking more to make the serving plate contents look diminished.  Here we had a bit of a reprieve where we were offered another bottle of wine, which we declined and then in a few short minutes, dessert was served. 

After our delicious berry tart, we were brought an entire canister of biscotti (cookies) to eat to our liking, as well as a bottle of grappa.  My mom and I tasted of the grappa but opted for limoncello instead, both of which were firsts for her.  As my dad drank the café that was offered to us, there were Italian guests who were just arriving at 9:30 to begin this grand affair of a dinner!  Mamma mia!

Firenze Highlight:  Wine tasting at Castello Verrazzano in the Tuscan countryside of Chianti.

We were served a free lunch of meats, cheese, bread and olive oil and then began our tour of the wine cellar and finished with a leisurely wine tasting.  After two weeks of cities, my parents were elated to spend time in the quiet, picturesque wine-country.  More over, my dad was thrilled that the winery was once owned by the same Verrazzano’s of which the bridge in New York is named after; the same one that his father helped build.

The beach of Monterosso

Cinque Terre Hightlight:  Soaking up the sun on the beach in our bathing suits the moment we arrived followed by dinner on a cliff-top overlooking the ocean. 

Unfortunately, our only full day in the 5 towns was cold and blustery and eventually rainy.  We bought a ferry pass that morning to take us from town to town instead of taking the train but the sea was so rough that the service proved to be quite impractical that day.  Better luck next time.

My Italian got quite a workout as we discovered that night that there was to be a train strike the next day, when we had tickets to travel to Venice.  A few hours of stress that night and an early morning visit to the train station the next morning turned out to be in vain when the strike didn’t actually happen.

Venezia Highlight:  Well…some very rude people unfortunately, but I’d have to say…maybe our visit to the island of Burano.

"Color is like Music, It uses shorter way to come to our senses to awake our emotions."

This tiny island off of Venice doesn’t really have anything to do, but you feel like you have just stepped off a boat into Candy Land!  Each house lining the many canals is painted a different bright color from the next and it seems simply surreal that people actually live on this tiny story book illustration of an island!  The people here seemed to be the happiest of all who we met in the Venice area and we enjoyed the glimpse of this place where people paint their joy on their houses and plant it in their window boxes.

There were no tears as I left to come back to Firenze, knowing that six weeks is nothing compared to eight months.  I can’t wait to see my family and friends once I return, but I am finally beginning to adjust to my life here, just as we always do after about eight or nine months living in a new place.  Again, just as it always is with moving, my parting will be bittersweet, but there are always new adventures and experiences to be had.  After seeing my parents it seems to be coming quicker than I would have ever expected.  How strange it is that time can pass so slowly when we are longing for the future and conversely, how quickly it passes when we don’t want to let go of the present.

See you in less than two months my friends!  I will say, am definitely excited to be back in my culture where basically anything goes (even though that can be both good and bad) after eight months of committing or rather, trying to avoid committing cultural faux pas.

My Latest Reading Suggestion:  The Art of Racing in the Rain