Londra e una settimana con i genitori

It is time for a serious update. I have been incredibly busy, but the good kind of busy. Since my last post, I have been to London, Venice, Florence, been on a bicycle ride through the countryside and had a visit from my parents. Phew!

London is at the top of my list of favorite trips. My wonderful hosts and the beautiful weather definitely impacted my impression of the city. A childhood friend of my mother resides with her husband in a beautiful flat in the center of London.  Every morning I awoke to a gorgeous view from the balcony.

Upon my arrival, my hosts took my on a quick tour of their neighborhood of Barbican center and took my to my first English pub. I'm not a big fan of beer, so I insisted on only a half-pint. Not only did I really enjoy the drink, but the atmosphere of the locale was incredible. We were surrounded by the "after-work" crowd - businessmen enjoying a Friday evening after a long week. Everyone was incredibly friendly despite being strangers.

Due to the fantastic weather, I chose to walk nearly everywhere. In fact, I never once took the tube. Even though its faster to take public transit, I think got to know the city on a much more personal level by walking. I walked practically the entirety of London. Barbican to the London Bridge to the South Bank to the Parliament Buildings to Oxford Street to Harrod's to the V&A Museum to the British Museum to Buckingham Palace. Yes I was tired. But ask me where practically any coffee shop is in the city proper and I could tell you (how do you think I managed to walk for ~ 7 hours a day?).

Last week, my parents came to visit my in Siena. While they did a lot of museum-wandering and cathedral-admiring on their own (If I see one more "Madonna and Child" painting........) we had a wonderful time meeting with the Italian family in Porta Romana. When they invited my parents over for dinner, I was nervous. My parents don't speak any Italian and I feared sitting in awkward silence. But the night was quite the opposite. Lots of conversing about culture, the difference between the US and Italy, jokes that lose their wit when translated (ha). I snapped a shot of Roberto showing my parents a map of Italy, giving suggestions on places to go:

And an awkward family photo was necessary:

During the week of their visit, we spent a full day in Florence. There I indulged in my new obsession, Caffe' Shakerato. It is essentially an espresso shot put into a shaker with ice until it is all foamy and delicious. And I get to sip it out of a martini glass. Which makes it better, obviously. 

So as to not make this post unbearably long, I will save Venice for another time. Stay tuned -- only a few weeks left!

Pasqua Italiana

Ciao e Buona Pasqua a tutti. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I was fortunate enough to celebrate with the Italian family in Porta Romana, so I got quite an authentic experience. I was joined at the table with 17 of their relatives from all over Italy. While it was quite overwhelming, it was one of the best afternoons so far. When I arrived at their house everyone was bustling about in the kitchen, frantically preparing for the mass of people due to arrive. Francesca warned me, "hai visto 'Il Mio Grosso Grasso Matrimonio Greca' -- sara' come quel film" (have you seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? Today will be like that film.)

And it was. I found myself shaking hand after hand, saying "Ciao, piacere" over and over again. A few of the cousins and one uncle knew English and were eager to speak to me -- probably to practice. But other than that, it was 6ish straight hours of Italian. I couldn't have asked for a better way to learn. While chatting, I learned that one of the cousins will be in London the same weekend as me and we might meet -- a great opportunity to speak Italian even in an English speaking country!

We had wonderful weather, despite the forecast for rain. There were showers for about 30 minutes but the sun was out, creating a gorgeous view from the balcony of the valley below.

And of course the food was delightful (and plentiful). While I could not indulge in the meat dishes, I was more than satisfied with the countless antipasti e secondi sans meat. These included little sandwiches with countless spread including olive, artichoke, smoked salmon, a spinach and ricotta bake, squash tortettes, fresh ciaccino (a type of italian flatbread), etc.

Francesca preparing the antipasti

One Aunt brought a little lamb figurine made of marzipan, which she cut during dessert (followed by screams of "no! poverino agnello!" as she severed the head).

Despite being quite nervous, everyone made me feeling very welcome. I am so fortunate to have met such wonderful people here.

As for the rest of the week, it is starting to feel a bit more like Spring (finally). I can finally go running in a t-shirt, and Piazza del Campo is the perfect place to soak up the sun. Only one negative comes with Spring -- the tourists. They are everywhere and will only become more numerous. While reading in the Piazza today, I moved where I was sitting as I was swarmed by a mass of American students eating gelato and complaining that it did not compare to American ice cream (PS - are we really THAT loud?).

Friday I leave for London -- I cannot wait! I am crossing my fingers for decent weather as I am looking forward to a weekend of a self-guided walking tour. It can be chilly, but please let there be sun!

a dopo,

Martha :)