I'm in my Kitchen in Baloney :) right now, and packing some things up. This afternoon I'm leaving for Oslo to go visit my aunt for 5 days, I'm excited! I will also see my friend Ida who lives there and has been my pen pal since we were about eight.
The past month has been chock full of travelling, everyday Italian experiences and lots of visits from family and friends! Some highlights:
I went to Barcelona with Andrea from my program and we met my friend Kevin there. We were lucky enough to stay at a family friends apartment, and her hospitality made our trip so fabulous. We were right downtown and had wonderful weather for the four days we got to explore! Saw lots of Gaudi, the Beach, had some Paella, found a zip-line above the city, rode in a cable car, heard lots of Catalan and Spanish, and had tapas.
My parents recently visited for two weeks and it was so great to see them. We spent some time in Bologna, enjoying the tortelloni, mortadella, wine and gelato. Then, we went to Venice, Florence and spent some time on the Italian Riveria at the Cinque Terre, which were as gorgeous as everyone would have you believe. We had a great time relaxing, enjoying so much wonderful food (seafood and pastas and sweets) and being together over Easter. We missed my sister and aunt though, who couldn't be there with us! We had a memorable trip together.
Just recently, my friend Mike passed through with his friend Adam, from Galway, Ireland where they are both studying. They used my apartment as a home base for awhile while checking out all of the sights near Bologna. I went to Roma with them and we saw so much! It was my first time there since being in Italy and I liked it. It was Roma's birthday so all of the monuments were free, which was a sweet treat for poor college students like us. We saw the Coloseum, Sistine Chapel, the Vatican, St. Peter's, Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Roman Forum... the amount of history was overwhelming, but the ruins were so fascinating.
Just recently I've spent some fun time in Bologna going to classes and hangin with my girlfriends from the program. I had Lucy, Andrea and Rosemary over a few nights ago and taught them how to make Foccacia! I found a recipe online and have been experimenting with it, with delicious results, so I had them over to make some more! We had all sorts of fixings and added mozarella, pesto, sundried tomatoes, asiago cheese, rosemary and caramalized onions on top. When I come home, if you want me to make this for you, you just let me know! We had lots of success, and it was a yummy evening. Also, Andrea brought a great combo over - we had sweet green apples with pecorino cheese and acacia honey. Oh my goodness, such a classy, simple and flavorful combination.
Ok, I still have to pack!! So, I'm out!
Happy April!
Love,
A
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