Bienvenidos

so...mum and i finally made it to italy! it was a rushed, teary goodbye - last minute packing and throwing things into my bags, phone calls and texts, goodbye's on the street, writing thank you and farewell notes to neighbors, one last visit to Cava...I was really sad to leave Dad at the airport, but a sleepless-2.5 movies-a family guy lauren conrad episode-the modern family pilot and one lousy beef or chicken dish later...we were in Dublin. so many cutie irish people, i wanted to recruit them all to Ri Ra. Of course we had to have a full irish breakfast - not as good as mum's and not so appetizing at 5 in the morning, but still. then we were on the flight to milan and i think i was just beyond exhaustion to have any feelings. it was good just to be in transit. we managed to get my four bags into this tiny car and off we were to parma (below). parma is a really cute little city - tons of old historic buildings, very colorful, romantic, cobble stone streets, little stores and a bunch of restaurants and cafes, museums and churches. the weather is cold and dreary but that doesn't hide its charm. we had lunch at san barnaba - our first proscuitto crudo di parma, braised radicchio with melted cheese, tortelli alla parmigiano and zuppa di verdure. and a very good house red wine. then we wandered around a bit and randomly ran into my new apartment roommate Arina! she's great - very friendly and chatty and it seems like we have a lot in common. a nap and shower was definitely needed though to wake me up. then we wandered to enoteca, which was a fun hipster sorta wine bar with tapas where we had a glass of cava, mixed crostini and patatas bravas. then onwards to dinner, we went to la greppia where we had no idea what half the menu was but ended up having some local/traditional dishes which included fettuccini with chestnut flour and ricotta (and mashed potato decoration), braised red cabbage with gorganzola that seemed more like pate, chestnut& apple stuffed tortellini and also artichokes stuffed with cheese and porcini mushrooms with a cheesey sauce. and a very good local sangiovese di romagna red wine. i don't know how the italians manage to stay slim with all the white carbs, cheese, and wine...I'll guess I'll have to learn. or i'll just be the happiest fat person who lives by the motto, "when in rome." i just love to try everything to experience it at least once.

tomorrow we are able to collect our apartment keys from the campus office and move in. i have a list of errands to do so it will be busy! i am very much looking forward to it though :o)