Downtown Vicenza in a Hail Storm

Who knew Italy gets hail?  Well, guess what y'all? It does! 70 degree weather turns straight into a hail storm, and your two favorite Americans experienced it all! I'll get to that in a minute...

T and I spent Friday evening in downtown Vicenza experiencing more Italian culture.  I cannot describe to you the beauty this city holds.  We hopped on a bus and wandered around until we stumbled upon the town square called the Piazza dei Signori.  I have never seen anything like it.  The streets are covered in boutiques, gelato shops, and relaxing areas to grab a drink.  I had done so much research on the city, I knew what the town square looked like, and as we approached it, I felt like I was in a scene from a movie.  We rounded a corner that opened up to the square, and I was mezmoried. Look at these gorgeous sights.  This was the second time I was almost paralyzed due to the fact we are living in Europe (the first time is an experience for a different post for sure). 

 

I totally wanted to ask that balloon made to make me a wine glass hat...#trueamericantourist

After walking a little ways, we stopped for a snack, which has a certain Italian name, and I can't remember it right now...whoops.  Most everyone's alcoholic drink of choice is "spritz aperol," a cocktail very popular in northern Italy or "prosecco," a sparkling wine (YUM).  

Fitting in with the locals nicely if I do say so myself. Salute! 

After walking a bit more, the heavens opened up.  A treacherous downpour exploded from the sky while the two Americans were the only ones in the entire city not prepared with umbrellas.  I did peak in a store to see if I could grab one, however, with a Burberry label came a heavy price tag.  Needless to say, we didn't purchase an umbrella.  Maybe next time. Hint, hint, husband!  T and I ended up taking shelter under a covered pathway to wait out the storm.  After about 5 minutes of heavy rain,  hail started pelting the ground.  T got super excited about this and started going full on photog.  I have more pictures of the hail than of the whole city of Vicenza. 

Notice he even has the knee bent.  Total photog. 

After 20 more minutes of no relief, we decide to bolt to a restaurant so we could grab some dinner before heading back to the hotel.  Mickey's Bar is where we ended up and is somewhere we will for sure be visiting again.  Only if they let us back being we drenched their entire place.    

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And this is the delightful snack we were served by our new found Italian waiter friend.  The meat on the left is horse salami.  Is that legal in the US?  The waiter made sure we knew the cheese on this platter wasn't cheddar.  I guess that is a common thinking that American's love cheddar cheese?  Turns out it was asiago and was molto delizioso! 

 

This was the last stop of our adventurous day, and could not have been a better choice.  T and I have had so much fun wandering into random places attempting our Italian words.  We are falling in love with this place and it's rich culture more and more.

Next weekend, bring on the city of water, Venice!  Can't wait to share what gems we stumble upon there. 

Lastly, a few more beautiful pictures.

Until Next Time, 

Always 

Lo amo I'Italia!

I have been described through out my entire life as a "people person." Hmmm I wonder why....for those of you that know me, this comes as no surprise. For as long as I can remember, I could relate to almost anyone, never met a stranger, I would even go as far as accepting a challenge of making the wall my best friend. Human interaction is what I thrive off of. So, in preparation for Italy, I believe this gave me some sort of comfort in feeling confident in our transition to our new overseas home. T and I went above and beyond to make sure we were prepared for our move, but that's just it. We prepared for our move, but nothing we could have done would prepare us (especially me, unlike T, this is my first time overseas) for what was awaiting us as we left the Venice airport and shuttled to Vicenza. Wow is all I knew what to say.  Everything is different. The language (obviously!), clothing, behaviors, travel, food. Like I said, everything, and I am in awe. I'm captivated by the buildings, especially the apartments with beautiful gardens and the signature red roof. Which we actually have a nice view of out our hotel window. 

Yes, the bell tower works. Yes, it is super loud. 

A couple of other pictures I snapped.  I am so inspired by the rustic vibe these structures put off. 

Lets get down to what's really important. The food. Holy cow, y'all. We have eaten goooooood. Some of my favorites gave been the gelato, gnocchi (potato dumpling served with melted cheeses), authentic Italian cappuccino that puts Starbucks in the grave, and homemade, tastes-like-heaven cheesecake. Oh, and all the meats and cheeses! Basically I love it all. Everything tastes fresh and real unlike the over processed American foods.  Something I find odd, wine is cheaper than any other beverage. I was told that numerous times, but I guess I couldn't believe it until I witnessed it with my own eyes. Not complaining about that, and I'm hoping it will kick my bad habit of drinking coke. I almost choked when I saw a single coke cost the same as a liter, yes a liter, of wine. 

We are heading to downtown Vicenza tonight and Saturday. I'm determined to find the fresh flower market along with a bike I can purchase right there on the spot because EVERYONE rides! I can't wait to be touristy and take a million pictures. Don't worry, I'll share them all. 

Until Next Time,  

Always 

Oh, Dobby is settling in nicely. Doesn't his expression just say he loves it here? 

Arrivederci!

I am in a state of disbelief. This Memorial Day my hubby and I are not spending time on the lake or over a barbecue, we are 45 minutes away from our departure to Italy. So surreal.

The past couple weeks have been a hectic blur. From movers in and out, checking out of our first apartment, to saying goodbye to our family and leaving our best friends, it's been an experience I'll never forget. As we sit in the airport making our final calls to family, I'm overwhelmed at what a remarkable adventure we are about to begin.

We arrived at the airport around 11:00 AM this morning to make sure alllllllllll of our luggage was good to go. Anyone want to guess how much luggage we have?

SEVEN check-in bags, FOUR carry-ons including my cat. Going through security with a cat was very interesting....

Those are our absolute besties right there. Wish I could fit them in our suitcase. 

Everything went smoothly, and now we just wait to board our plane. We have a couple of layovers until we reach our final destination, until then, I plan on trying to settle my nerves with a glass of champagne. Salute! 

Until Next Time, 

Always 

Checklists upon Checklists

I run my life on checklists.  PAPER checklists. Yes, my notes section on my phone gets used lots, but there is something about physically checking of a to-do with my beloved fine tipped sharpie pen. Ahhh, it feels goooooood.  Normally, I will keep to one, nice, neat-with-no-crinkles, piece of paper so my life feels together because LISTS ROCK.  Okay well moving to a new country has completely blown that up in my face.  I want to show y'all our to-do lists...notice I have strayed from my one piece of paper and have basically used every piece of scratch paper in our house.  Truly embarrassing.  

I feel like a mad woman.  Since I am a newbie at PCSing (relocating to a new Army post) because me moving to North Carolina didn't truly count, this process has kind of turned our lives upside down.  It is absolutely insane how much has to be done while moving overseas with the military.  I admire the families that make these huge life adjustments with children. WHEW.  It's enough work with T, myself, and my kitty cat.  You know the hardest part is the time crunch we are under. Maybe if we had months to prepare, it wouldn't feel as overwhelming, but having less than a month since the day we had our orders in hand, that is what is making it so crazy. 

From today, we have 18 days until we board our plane and officially start our European adventures.  It is happening so fast! I have spent hours on Pinterest and travel blogs soaking up as much information as possible, and it fills me with joy!  T's leave starts at midnight, so the next few weeks will be filled with visiting family and friends, packing, and wine drinking.  

Check out some images I have found of Vicenza over the past couple of weeks and try to prevent your mouth from dropping.  

I do not own the rights to any of these images, all courtesy of Pinterest.  Give me about a month and I will be in my own picture posting overload. 

 

 

 

 

 

I will own that bike by the way. And my home will be filled to the brim with fresh flowers, fruits, and veggies galore because that is how Europeans live.  I just know it.  

Until Next Time, 

Always