Tex-Mex, Farewell Parties, and Lots of laughs

Keeping up with the mindset of cramming everything into our last few weeks in Bologna, Niraj and I have been very busy eating, socializing, job hunting, and studying.

Last week we decided to have a Tex-Mex night and in order to enjoy the Velveeta and Rotel that my parents so kindly brought back from the States. We invited 7 people over (including another fellow Texan!) for cheese queso, guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, margaritas, and chicken fajitas. It was so delicious and we had many, many laughs and a terrific night. And as luck would have it, we unintentionally scheduled it on Cinco de Mayo! All in all a fabulous night with great friends.

The next night was also truly spectacular but completely different. One of the students in the program decided to host an extravagant cocktail party for all the students, faculty, and staff. He is living in one of the top 5-Star hotels in Bologna this year, and he rented out a floor and an outdoor patio in the hotel where he held a fabulous party. He personally greeted everybody as they arrived up the stairs, hired a band, provided catered snacks and an open bar, and hired a personal photographer and a magician to wander all night. The vast majority of students and faculty came out, and we all had a fantastic night! It was all so tasteful, elegant, and classy, and it was fun seeing everybody all dressed up and enjoying a relaxing night under the stars. Here are a couple of our favorite pictures:

The Girls

Niraj and Edmond, our gracious host

Niraj and I enjoying the evening

When we left the party we encountered one of the most random but most amusing things we have seen thus far in Bologna. Apparently there was some sort of car show going on, so on our way home from the cocktail party we were able to watch classic roadsters drive past us! The main streets were closed down, people were waving little flags from the sidewalks to cheer on the teams, and cars (each with a driver and passenger in matching coveralls and colored caps) drove by at a steady rate. Keep in mind, this was around 12:30AM! I'm not quite sure what was going on, but as car buffs Niraj and I both got a kick out of watching old Alfa Romero's and other Italian classics drive by.

As you can tell, these last few days are proving to be truly terrific. I am enjoying many lunch and dinner outings with friends I have made these past 9 months and stuffing myself with as much tortelloni, ragu, parmesan, prosciutto, vino, and gelato that I can manage before Thursday. It's fantastic, and still so hard to believe my countdown to departure is now less than 4 days! We are both, however, definitely getting excited to begin our next adventure and see where we end up after Bologna...

Gotta love those last minute excursions!

The countdown for my departure from the enchanting land of Italy continues... and it is now officially T - 8 days and counting. Still surreal! Niraj still has more time over here, even though his time is filled with papers and exams.

Keeping with the theme of getting in as much as possible before leaving, there are a few recent travel adventures to share.

Last week I found out that the company I am consulting for was doing some testing in a town outside of Zurich. So I was invited me to meet everyone out there and witness the happenings. Now, who would pass up a chance to go to Switzerland?! So, I took a train out to Basel and also spent a few hours wandering Zurich on my way back home.

First of all, the train ride from Milano to Basel was absolutely breathtaking! The entire way you are winding through the Alps, and I spent 4 hours gazing at lakes, mountains (some still with snowy peaks), farms, and random little villages under perfectly clear skies . It was definitely beautiful country.

Basel is a quaint town, and it is unique because it lies right where Switzerland, France, and Germany meet. We had some time to explore Old Town, ate some amazing fondue, and took in as much Swiss culture as we could. As I mentioned, I decided to stop over in Zurich as well on my way back to Bologna. Zurich was fantastic! Anyone who knows me well and has heard me talk about my travels over here knows that I love the German Brezels (pretzels). I lived off them during Oktoberfest and begged my parents to bring me some when they stopped over in Frankfurt airport, so needless to say I also lived off of those in Zurich! They were so delicious! Besides eating pretzels, I was able to walk across the river and get lost in the curvy, hilly streets of Zurich. Switzerland is definitely quite lovely, and here are pictures to prove it.

The other last minute trip we squeezed in was to Cinque Terre. This area is 5 little cliff side villages right on the Mediterranean Sea... Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Riomaggiore is the largest of the five, but Vernazza and Monterosso were our favorites. By the time you get out to those two you have lost many of the other tourists and get a real "feel" of the culture and lifestyle.

Each town is a little bit different, and there is a walking/hiking path right along the water connecting all five towns. That part of the country is stunning because you have rolling hills with vineyards on one side of you and the gorgeous blue waters of the Mediterranean on the other side. There were 10 other SAIS students going out that weekend, so we spent part of Saturday exploring with them as well. We walked in between all of the towns, sampled local wine, ate seafood (well, Niraj ate seafood), tried the local pesto (quite delicious), and even ventured into the water. Niraj and the others decided to go all in which was quite hilarious to watch! Here's proof of them all waving to the camera:


And here are the rest of our photos.

All in all, definitely more great adventures and good times to add to our yearly inventory!

Good Day Sunshine

Today was the perfect spring day. The sun was shining, there was not a cloud in the sky, and it was one of the first days we were able to wear short-sleeve shirts, flip flops, and sunglasses. This morning I even had the privilege of hearing my neighbor singing "Volare" at the top of his lungs while he was watering his plants. He was no Pavarotti, but I can honestly say there have been fewer things this year that had made me feel more Italian than that!

Today was also the day of the SAIS International BBQ. After all, what better way to celebrate an International school than by eating food from all over the world? It is Italy. Eating is what we do here.

Everyone spent the afternoon at school under the sun enjoying each others company and eating delicious food. There was everything from Polish cucumber salad to curries to Italian chocolates to Swiss hash browns to potato pancakes to Spanish churros to Mexican fajitas and guacamole to hot dogs to grilled plantains to good ol' American apple pie (that one was courtesy of Niraj and me). The list goes on and on but I think that gives the general idea. Somebody even threw in a box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies! Just like Thanksgiving, it amazes me the kind of food you can make over here if you really dig around for ingredients and get creative. The afternoon also included throwing around a frisbee, kicking soccer balls, and even a few numbers from SAIS' in house a cappela group.

Everybody (including Niraj) is getting geared up for the last few weeks of class and for final exams/papers, so it was definitely a great way to give into spring fever and relax a bit. All in all, not a bad way to spend an Italian Sunday afternoon.

Volcano Disruptions and Feeling the End is Near (not literally of course...)

As most of you know, the recent volcano eruption in Iceland caused many, many problems on this side of the pond. Forget the thousands of other people stranded, the most important disruption was that the flight of our good friends Mike and Alyssa was canceled! Ok, maybe that wasn't most important but it sure felt that way to Niraj and me. Mike and Alyssa were supposed to be here right now drinking wine and eating gelato with us, and we were very disappointed they didn't make it. Luckily they were able to take a much needed vacation elsewhere, and at least we'll be stateside soon to see everyone again!

Let's not forget all the other great people who come see us these past few months... it has meant a lot to us to have so many people visit. The Oktoberfest crew (Ann, Aaron, Jason, Jon, and Erin [wink, wink!]), Ted, the recently married Chapmans, and my parents. Having friendly faces definitely helped us survive the year, so thanks a million to those who made the trek! And for those who couldn't make it, guess we'll just have to catch up for lost time back home...

All in all time is really starting to fly by. I'm venturing back in 3 weeks, and as people are slowly starting to trickle out of Bologna it's starting to hit that this will all come to an end soon. Guess we just have to make the most out of our final weeks here. So... gelato, pasta, wine, parmesan, and prosciutto, here we come!

Italy vs. Europe

This was shown a few months ago at school during a student event, and I just had to share it with everyone. It is absolutely hilarious, and every bit of it rings true to life over here. From the buses to the parking to the autostrada to the smoking to clapping on the airplane, Niraj and I have seen it all this year!

Enjoy and be prepared to laugh out loud!

Italy vs. Europe

A *real* Taste of Italy

Last weekend, Niraj and I had yet another fantastic experience here in Bologna. We did a cooking class to learn traditional Bolognese cuisine. There is a cooking school called "Taste of Italy" here in the city (and yes, I named my blog before I ever saw that!), and they really did provide a terrific culinary experience for us.

We had the privilege of taking our class with 7 other Hopkins students at a Bed and Breakfast in the little town Castel San Pietro. The place had a fantastic open air kitchen which was perfect on that beautiful sunny day. Our instructor Teresa was an 80-year old, award-winning sfoglina who makes pasta by hand everyday for local restaurants. She makes such perfect pasta that customers at her restaurants often don't believe the pasta is handmade because it is cut too evenly. She did not speak a word of English, but was very entertaining and thought we were all molta bella (we thought the same of her as well).

Throughout the 4 hours that we were in San Pietro, we learned how to make the dough, knead the dough, roll the dough, and cut various pasta shapes. We made tagliatelle, tortelloni, farfelle, and garganelli. We probably had enough handmade pasta for 30 people!

Naturally, after making the pasta the next step was to eat the pasta. We sat outside under the sun and were able to try our different pasta shapes in 3 very typical Bolognese sauces:

1) tagliatelle con ragu (the traditional meat sauce from Bologna)
2) garganelli with 3P sauce - panna (cream), piselli (peas), and pancetta (bacon)
3) tortelloni con burro e salvia (butter and sage)

The instructor provided 2 bottles of wine from a nearby vineyard, and the food was delicious! It still amazes me how delicious fresh pasta is... especially when your hands and arms are sore from working it yourself!

Check out the Pictures to get a feel for the entire experience, and buon appetito!

Milan, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest... oh my!

Wow, so much has happened lately that I don't even know where to begin!

Last week was spring break for the Johns Hopkins - Bologna Center which meant lots of visitors and lots of adventures. My parents were in town for two weeks and we did a whirlwind tour of Milan and Eastern Europe. Before getting into the travel photos and stories, let me first say how excited I was when I realized what was in their luggage...


That's right, a little taste of home! My parents threw the famous blue boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese into their suitcases along with Girl Scout cookies, chocolate chips and other cookie making ingredients, and Velveeta and Rotel for queso dip. Say what you will about how sinful it is to eat packaged powder cheese when I am amongst all this delicious Italian food, but that bowl of macaroni may have been one of the highlights of our year here! It's amazing what you miss after being away for so long... :)

Another non-Spring break highlight was a little surprise I had from Niraj. He got me a giant chocolate Easter egg! And I mean giant! Notice the spice jars in this picture... pretty big huh? Buon Pasquale! Happy Easter!


Ok, now on to the travels...

I met my parents in Milan and we spent a fabulous weekend in this high-end Italian town that none of us had ever been to before. We walked and walked and walked all over the city, saw Wagner's "Tannhauser" at the famous La Scala Opera House, ate amazing food, walked through the Galleria shopping center where many designers got their start, and saw many Italians walking through the streets on Palm Sunday with their olive branches. There were two highlights that stood out over all of those amazing things, however.

The first was the Duomo. Milan's famous cathedral is absolutely breath-taking gothic architecture, which by far is one of my favorite styles. The inside was just as stunning, but it was the top of it that was best of all. Yes, the top! The coolest thing about the Duomo is that you can walk on top of it! My parents and I were able to walk amongst the statues, the pillars, the spires, and cross the entire length of the roof. Seeing Milan from the top of a church and seeing this amazing piece of work so up close and personal was surreal. And again, being Palm Sunday we could hear mass going on inside. Now, how many people can say they heard mass from a rooftop?

The second memorable thing we did in Milan was see Da Vinci's Last Supper painting. After making reservations months in advance we finally got to see this unbelievable piece of work. The painting takes up an entire wall in this otherwise empty room, and it is just as breathtaking as I had always imagined. And again, seeing it on Palm Sunday right before Holy Week made it extra special.

After going to Milan, Niraj and I showed my parents around Bologna for a couple of days. We also made a delicious meal at home to show of our newly learned Bolognese cooking skills, and the four of us gorged ourselves on Torta Frittas, Prosciutto di Parma, Spritz, wine, tortelloni con burro e salvia (butter and sage), and a delicious after-dinner digestif. Even after traveling all over Europe, the food in Bologna never ceases to amaze!

Then our Eastern European journey began. We flew into Budapest and spent three days there. Budapest was so beautiful, and it is amazing how the River Danube divides the city into a a hilly part (Buda) and a flat part (Pest). Parliament Building stands out in the flat side right along the river, and the Palace and Fisherman's Bastion tower over the hills on the opposite bank. We did a tour of Parliament, went to a Hungarian opera (which was by far the weirdest thing any of us had ever seen!), ate amazing sausages and potatoes and goulash, went inside many cathedrals, and just marveled at the un-touched beauty of this post-communist city. This was my first time in a post-communist country (Niraj had been to Sarajevo though), and it was incredible seeing the remnants of communist rule and hearing the history of it. We did a communist walking tour our last day there, and had an incredible guide who grew up under Soviet rule. We heard stories about the schools, the daily life, the censoring, and saw buildings and landmarks that we would have otherwise overlooked completely. The place Niraj and I stayed at was also a typical building, and as you can see in the pictures has been limited in the upkeep department.... it had so much character though and definitely added to the whole experience.

One of the highlights here was going to the Bathhouse. The one we went to was outside the city just a bit, and there were numerous natural sulfur pools both inside and outside that you could soak in. The temperatures ranged from lukewarm to 106F, and it was definitely the most relaxing thing of the entire trip! One of the outdoor pools even had a whirlpool-like portion of it, and when you got into it you would effortlessly go round in circles. It was hilarious... especially when you tried to get out! Plus, Niraj only made matters worse by repeatedly pushing me back in when I tried to get out... fun times.

After three days in Budapest, we hopped on a train to spend a quick day in Bratislava, Slovakia. This often overlooked town was very quaint and was a nice change of pace from western Europe. We wandered through the tiny pedestrian streets, saw the famous Cumil statue of the jolly worker peeking out of a manhole, ate a big meal of weinerschnitzel and potato croquettes, walked along the streets where famous composers once ventured, and just spent a few hours exploring. It was a quick stop, but there was again so much history and a unique feeling to the city.

Our final venture was to the magnificent city of Praha (Prague). We were there over Easter weekend and were able to learn the traditions of the city. There were Easter markets set up in every square where you could buy sausages, gluwine (hot mulled wine), the famous Pilsner Urquell beer, hand painted eggs and gifts, and gorge yourself on (our favorite) Tredlnik. This delicious treat is bread that is rolled and grilled over an open flame and then covered in a mixture of vanilla, cinnamon, and almonds. YUM!!! I think it's fair to say my parents and I quickly became addicted to these! We also learned that the Easter tradition is for boys to tie sticks together with ribbons and then go door-to-door to visit the girls they know. They knock on the door, hit the girl (gently) on the legs with the sticks, and then the girl has to give the boy an egg that she has decorated. Ah, the unique traditions of other cultures!

In Prague we began by doing a 3 1/2 hour walking tour of the city. We got a great sense of the city and learned the entire history from our fantastic tour guide. During our stay there we saw the Astronomical Clock, Our Lady of Tyn Cathedral, Old Town Square, walked across Charles Bridge both during the day and at night, went up the tower for an amazing birds-eye view of the city, walked through the Jewish Quarter, saw the Kafka statue, and spent a few hours at the Palace. Again, the architecture and history of this city was absolutely incredible! An interesting tidbit about Prague is that many major movies are filmed there (regardless of where they actually take place) because it's the one city in the world where nearly every type of architecture is present. You walk down a street and every building looks drastically different, but just as stunning, as the one before it. Again, this just touches the surface of all the things we did and saw, but it's fair to say that Prague is now right up there with Budapest as one of the most incredible cities I have ever seen!

I could go on forever about these two weeks of travel, but I think the pictures show things better than I can explain! So, take a look and enjoy... I know we sure did!

Milano

Budapest

Bratislava

Praha