Pazze Serate

It's been a while since my last post and I've learned a lot between then and now. Slowly. Very very slowly. I am learning how to dance and not look like a total white girl. Slowly. Less slowly. I am picking up Italian slang. And less slowly still I am actually speaking Italian.

I love having Italian friends. They are a god send that make living in Brescia soooooo much better. It was a beautiful city before. Now it's a beautiful city with possibilities. And best of all a beautiful city with crazy nights out.

Friday, and not Saturday night, is the big night out in Brescia. So when I have Fridays (and more importantly Saturday mornings) off I go out in the Piazzale. There I've learned that Italians drink outside even when it's cold. I've learned that Italians smoke more than any other populous. I've learned that high heels don't hurt your feet so much when it's so cold that you can't feel your toes. I've discovered that I really like ginger mojitos and I've also found the BEST Long Island Iced Tea in the WORLD.

Two weeks ago we did a big night out dancing on Friday to celebrate the end of everyone's exams and as a going away party for Andri who left for London for a month. We started in the Piazza and then after a few Long Islands at Cakao we headed to Circus to dance. I saw some guys that we met at Seconda Classe about a month ago, and regret not chatting up the cute one a little bit more (Brescia is small though, I'm sure I'll see him around). I met a group of gay guys who told me I looked like Adele. I got to hang out with all of my favorite people in Brescia. I met a few new people. I danced until I couldn't feel my legs and I got home around 5am. I was still tipsy the next morning. FABULOUS night.

Saturday night we all got dressed up and went to an exhibition opening at Andri's dad's modern art gallery. With all the caterers walking around with h'ordeuvres and glasses of champagne, I felt like I walked into a movie. I got to meet all of the girls' boyfriends that I previously hadn't met. Friday night is a strange event in Brescia where couples do not go out together, but instead only run into each other while out. They stay with their friends and only chat with their significant other for a little while before moving on again. Apparently Saturday night it is acceptable to bring your boyfriends to exhibition openings before you go out to dinner together...So I met the guys. After the gallery everyone without romantic dinner plans grabbed drinks. After drinks we went to this great little pizzeria where I ate an EXCELLENT mozzarella di buffala pizza. After pizza we grabbed another drink before calling it a night.

Other Friday nights out have all been fun but basically the same. We get a mojito at La Madeira and then we get a Long Island at Cakao, and then we finish up with a Cappezzolo shot at another little bar before finding somewhere to sit and talk. Usually we find people we know while we walk around from place to place, and always (thanks the the fabulous Elisa) we find some sort of English catch phrase for the evening. Last night I had major difficulty speaking in Italian so thankfully Eli, who understands English perfectly, translated what I wanted to say. I could understand what everyone was saying, but when I wanted to respond then the words wouldn't come out. It was extremely frustrating. Today me, Eli, and Anna went shopping and I was back to being able to express myself which was a relief, but last night my Italian just sucked.

English phrases/words that end up as catch phrases:
Slippery Nipple
Let's get something to drink
Don't worry, be happy
Who cares
Shitty person
Pub crawl
Talking shit

(I only teach the very best of the English language when I go out)

Il Castello di Brescia

I finally, after looking at it everyday for the last 4 months, made it to visit the castle. It is still my favorite part of Brescia, and it is even cooler and more complex up close. It houses 3 boring museums, none of which I visited: a model train museum, a weapons museum, and a museum of the Italian Resurgence. But the grounds are more extensive and have many more levels than it looks like from the outside and it has a great view of the city. I've never seen so many couples making out on park benches. There isn't a whole lot to say about it, but I got some great pictures that I wanted to share.

London Calling

When Helly went back to England, her mom (also Helleyne) went with her to visit for a week. Since Valentina wanted to take the kids to London at some point to see musicals in English, she decided that there was no better time than when her best friend was there visiting. So last Tuesday we booked last minute tickets to London and left on Wednesday. Since we booked our tickets to the musicals last minute too, it was a minor disaster. We could only get 2 decent tickets to Grease and 3 tickets for the Lion King and Mamma Mia.

I was inwardly thankful that I had done my laundry on Tuesday and had clean clothes to pack. Since we flew EasyJet and we had 2 kids in tow, we packed 2 big suitcases for the 4 of us. The flight there was pretty painless. We took the train, which the kids loved, into London Victoria and caught a cab to the apartment in Chelsea that we rented for the 5 days we were there. We hardly had time to unpack and buy some emergency groceries before it was time for me and Alessia to go to Grease. We took a cab to Piccadilly and got to the theater 5 minutes after the show started. She was FANTASTICALLY behaved. It was like a whole different child. I don't know if she was tired or if she was just thrown off by being in an English speaking country, but she was amazing. We had fun at the show, even though I had to explain a lot because she didn't understand when they talked in the silly voices. After the show I took her to look at the lights in Piccadilly Circus before we got a cab back to Chelsea. On the way we grabbed a slice of pizza and Ale found a pink sprinkled donut, which she wanted to buy solely for the fact that it was the prettiest donut in the world. She wouldn't eat it before we took a picture to document :)

Ale with her rock star face on the plane.

We spent most of the rest of the vacation between seeing the typical touristic sites and meandering through Harrods. We went to Harrods 4 out of the 5 days we were there. They bought half of the Toy Kingdom, most of which we had to have shipped back to Italy as it wouldn't fit in our luggage. Harrods was Alessia's (and probably Vale's) favorite part of London. Ale got all sorts of new toys and practically every Peppa Pig DVD ever made and Vale got all sorts of new shoes :)

The kids with a Lego Harrods doorman.

In the evening when they went to the Lion King, I went for a walk along the Thames and ended up in a pub on the Strand. It's amazing to me that with the reputation that Italian men have for being ladies men, that I always meet British men so much easier. I was in the bar 10 minutes before I made some new friends. Apparently I have a great accent. I thought theirs were pretty good too :) Of course I didn't meet the cutest one until 15 minutes before I had to leave, but I've never been known for my timing. Maybe it's better, my family would never forgive me if I brought home another Colin. We have too much confusion already ;)

The next day we went to the go ride the Eye. It took us all day to actually get there. We went for a walk and stopped in a hair salon for kids that we found in Chelsea. It was a great place, all of the chairs were cars and trains and airplanes for the kids to sit in, and in front of the chairs they played cartoons. Ale was ecstatic because Peppa Pig, her favorite cheeky little piggy who likes to jump in muddle puddles, was on. She sat in a police car and got her bangs trimmed and then she got her nails done like lady bugs. It was really cute. When we finally got down to the Embankment the kids were starving. Who knew that pubs along the river are so hard to find. After a nice pub lunch, we made it down to the Eye, but the kids were more interested in watching the mimes and playing at the little park than they were in actually riding it. After we played at the park for about an hour, we finally got tickets. The kids were exhausted though and after Gigi threw a fit for half an hour, he fell asleep and slept through the entire ride. Ale liked it, but I think she was pretty bored. She wanted to draw instead of look out at the city or take pictures with Big Ben. That night I stayed in with the kids while Vale went out to dinner with the 2 Helleynes.

Gigi at the kids hair salon

We spent most of the next day in Harrods terrorizing their toy department. The girl in customer service who sent our box deserves a large gift basket or at the very least a nice bottle of wine. We found another pub for lunch and then headed down to the London Aquarium. After the Aquarium we stayed in for the evening which I was thankful for since I was running on very little sleep. I'll never understand how kids can go to bed so late and wake up so early without being tired. They don't even drink coffee, I don't get it. They went to Mamma Mia Saturday night and I wandered around Piccadilly and took pictures after stopping for a pint. I ran into Helly, who was on her way to a movie with her Uni friends, near Leceister Square and we finally got a chance to chat a little before I had to meet the kids after the show. I can see why she would choose London over Brescia for college, it's fantastic.

One thing that I have missed since I left the US, that I used to scoff at in the States is Starbucks. It was probably the best part of our trip to London for me, since caffeine had become more of a necessity than food on this vacation. But I truely, deeply, sincerely, desperately have been missing Chai Tea Lattes since I left home. They are so freaking delicious. I introduced Valentina to them when we got to London and she drank about 2 a day the whole time we were there. I also created two little frappuccino monsters when I introduced the kids to the Strawberries and Cream blended drinks. It was worth it, because if they begged for Starbucks, that just meant I could drink it that much more :)

Our last real day in London we caught a bus tour, which was fine since it was cold and rainy all day. We stopped at Madame Toussaud's wax museum for a few hours and then jumped back on our double decker to see the rest of the city. Gigi slept for most of the tour, which was fine since he was a terror and spent most of his time at the museum trying to break the wax figures. After a little nap in the apartment we went out with Helly to do some shopping. However, since it was Sunday evening everything closed early, so we ended up just taking a walk and window shopping. We made dinner in the apartment and hung out at home most of the evening.

Me with a waxy Audrey Hepburn

I finally got to see Helly's apartment, which is a surprisingly bright but small studio with a fold-up bed. Unfortunately I was only there long enough to say goodbye. I was sad that we didn't get to hang out more, but with her mom in town and with the kids refusing to sleep there was barely time to eat and shower let alone catch up. Oh well, this won't be my last time in London. And I actually took pictures this time! Yay for a camera charger that fits into the wall!

Vacation with the kids is not my favorite, since it involves lots of heavy lifting and very little sleep. But I still adore London. I want to live there more than anything in the world...its been a dream of mine since I was 14 and I've discovered that it hasn't changed any. Anybody know someone in LDN who needs a junior graphic designer?

Little Jaunts and Outings

After my four day weekend, I went back to work feeling that much better about life. Helleyne had to go back to London on the 8th and I wanted to get together again before she left. Valentina is always saying how Francesca, their last American nanny, always went out to the club on weeknights. She would go out after the kids went to bed and wake up to get the kids off to school and go back to bed all day once they left. She asked once why I never do that. The answer being that I had no idea that I could. Also, they lived in Milan when Francesca was here, and there is much more to do in Milan on a weeknight than in Brescia. But since Thursday is live music night at Seconda Classe, I went out on a work night for the first time with Helly and her sister Andri. It was slightly difficult since Gigi doesn't want to sleep before midnight lately and I have to wait until he's asleep to go out. But by sheer luck though I wasn't the only one running late, and we ended up heading to the club at 12:15.

It was a good night, we danced, we drank, we talked, we flirted. We closed down the bar and met 2 Argentinian guys on the walk to the car. We stood around and chatted for another half an hour and then we started home. It's really strange because I understand Italian better when I'm listening to other people talk than when they are talking directly to me. I think it's because when they are speaking directly to me, I'm hurrying to translate my answer into Italian. We had some good talks and listened to some good music on the ride home. All and all the evening was a success.

Friday I got a little bit carried away. I'd had so much fun going out with the girls lately that I really wanted to go again. Especially since Friday is the big night out in Brescia, and it was Helly's last Friday in town. Since 3 weeks previous when I'd gotten an invite while working, Valentina said I couldn't go out on a Friday in case I got home too late and was exhausted/hungover the rest of the weekend. So I didn't have much hope, but when I asked if I could go to the Piazza for an hour after the kids went to bed, Vale said I could.

My original plan was to drive separately since I had to go home early, but Helly said it'd be easier for parking for her to drive and it was no problem to get me. I figured if I needed to leave before her then I could take a cab. Which was totally fine since I assumed we were going to Piazza Arnaldo a mile away from my house. Well...they say assumptions make an ass out of you and me. They do. We actually went to a club on the other side of town, and after the entrance fee for the table we booked, I didn't have enough cash for a cab home. Plus, I really didn't want to go home early anyways. Helly said she was leaving at like 2, so I just decided to go home with her when she left. Drinks were included in our table, but I only had one since I knew I'd be working all weekend and was already dreading the morning. But it was still a really great time. I liked this club way better than the one from the weekend before, even though they were both like something from a music video. The music at this one was way better. The DJ was fantastic and the dancing was out of control. We left around 2, but we ended up sitting in the car talking for a while before I actually went in. That was probably the best part of my week. As much fun as it is to go out, I miss having heart-to-hearts and just bonding with people. It's sort of difficult to do in the middle of the dance floor.

All-in-all I didn't get in until around 2:30ish, which didn't go over very well. I woke up on time, I miraculously wasn't tired, and I was a fantastic play mate all day...but apparently that didn't make up for the fact that I was an hour and a half late getting in. I felt sort of like Cinderella when she gets in trouble for going to the ball. She asks why I don't ever go out, but when I went out I got scolded for it. Oh well. I guess I can only go out out on weeknights. But it was totally worth it for Helly's last weekend here. Either way, I had fun.

My Fabulous Four-Day Weekend

Two weeks ago (better to post late than never) I had the best four-day weekend EVER! I stayed in Brescia for (almost) the whole weekend and got to meet a lot of locals. There are more people who speak English here than I thought. They’re all just hiding from me. Sneaky Brescians J

The fabulous Helleyne, who is a friend of the family that I work for, is 20 and studies in London. She’s half Brazilian, half Italian, grew up in Brescia and speaks perfect English…so she is like my personal heaven sent guide to the world of twenty-somethings here.  She was gracious enough to play tourist with me while she was home from school on Christmas break. J I think a cookie bouquet or bottle of wine may be in order. Thursday she and her boyfriend Roberto took me out for a few drinks and some live music. Piazza Arnaldo, which I have learned is the Friday night hang out of all of the locals , was pretty dead on a Thursday. But I tried my first ever Ginger Mojito, which was bitingly good.  After we hit up the Piazza we went dancing at Seconda Classe.

Seconda Classe is dance club that is moonlighting as a steakhouse/bar. While there are tables in the loft area and I assume food is served at some point in the evening, the cover charge, bouncers, and coat check scream CLUB to me. The main floor is taken up by a square bar in the middle and a stage in the corner and every other available space is packed with bodies. The cover bands that they book play a mixture of Italian and American hits and classics, so it’s fun for all ages, and believe me there are all ages present- as proven by the cougars and the 70-year-old man trolling for a date on the dance floor. When the band goes off, the DJ plays whatever he feels like, which is apparently I wide and random range of things. He played American top 40s, Nirvana, Italian soft rock, YMCA, some Brazilian stuff apparently, and some god awful house music. Italian clubs have taught me a new hatred for straight techno. I. Need. LYRICS. But most of the time what the DJ put on was a blast to dance to. I have ,however, reconfirmed in my mind that I have inherited my father’s rhythm (or lack thereof) and proceeded to make an ass of myself the whole evening next to Helly who studied hip-hop dancing for a decade. Oh well, she keeps it fun. I’ve decided that I’m also set back in a sense, because in Europe you actually have to learn to dance yourself whereas in America you aren’t required to since all you have to do is stick your ass out and wait for someone to dance behind you :P

I didn’t get home until 3:30 AM Thursday night, which kind of made the house here feel more like home since I’m nocturnal when I’m not chasing toddlers for a living.

Friday was a big day for me. I met my friend Anna for coffee, a bite of lunch, and some great conversation. After taking turns speaking in English and Italian, we decided to go shopping. Helly had invited me to go to a club with a group of her girlfriends that night and I needed a new outfit. Anna took me shopping and was very patient with me since she found nothing inspiring and everything I found fit horribly. But with her guidance I found a fabulous new top. We had to cut our date early so I could take the car back in time for them to go get the kids. It’s cheaper staying in Brescia, but it takes more coordination to share the car.

After I took the car back I went to the mall to attempt to find less homely work out clothes. I ended up buying a new dress and a great pair of shoes instead J Best find ever, the shoes were 10 Euros and are more comfortable than any heels I’ve ever owned. Thank you Nana for my new outfit J

I got sushi for dinner and then afterwards Helleyne picked me up to go out. The evening was a blur of new names and faces. Everyone was really chill and they all tried to speak English with me instead of Italian and make sure I understood was going on. I learned some new local slang, not all of which is appropriate for my reading audiences J but it was fun to pick up new vocab. We went to Piazza Arnaldo to get drinks and meet people, and I met about 15, half of which I remember their names- although I’m sure few remember mine, Caitlyn seems to be difficult for Italians to pronounce, even more so when intoxicated.  I was somewhat of a novelty for the evening as everyone kept introducing me as The American. Helly was fantastic at playing translator, even though I can pick up the drift of the conversation now. She’s also ideal to spot in a crowd since she’s like 6’1 and has an affinity for 3 inch heels, ideal for finding your way back to the group J She is an extremely gracious host and it helps that she knows practically everyone in Brescia.

Federica, Camilla, Francesca, Helly, and I were the ones that ended up going to the club afterwards. And it was a BLAST. We hit up a discotecha called the Circus in Brescia, which felt like something out of a movie.  There were platform dancers dressed up like Vegas show girls with sparkly leotards and giant feathers who set off the burlesque/circus décor nicely. This club was better people watching than it was dancing since all they played was house music, and as I’ve previously stated I can’t stand house music. Italy seriously throws off my gaydar because all of the men wear so much product in their hair, sport major chest hair and are still straight, while the girls wear no make-up, have buzz cuts, are rocking wife beaters but are there with their boyfriends. It’s really confusing for me.

It was fun to talk to the girls though. It’s difficult to go from living in a house of 50 women to having practically no girlfriends at all, so it was nice to be one of the girls again. Fede is crazy and she emits infectious fun. Camilla has the sharpest tongue ever for someone so tiny and she was the main reason for my vocabulary lesson. Francesca studied abroad in Dublin and we bonded over the greatness that is Ireland. Since I’m only slightly desperate to make more friends in Brescia, I bought a strategic round of vodka shots. They went over well even though it earned me the reputation of being a hardcore drinker, only a slight overstatement. Mostly I ordered vodka shots because I didn’t know how to translate Lemon Drop or Liquid Cocaine into Italian. Something to learn for next time. After an evening of crazy dancing and bottle service I dragged myself home at 4:30 am, a new club record for me J I was dead to the world most of the next day.

It was fine that I slept late because my plans for Saturday night were dinner with Anna and her gang at this great all you can eat pizzeria. She’s as excited to have a new friend as I am, so she showed me off all night like I just won first prize at the fair. I got to meet her husband Adriano, who is a faux painter, as well as some of her friends. The pizzeria was great the décor was adorable which I can appreciate. They also served really interesting stuff in addition to the classic stand bys. The apple, walnut, and gorgonzola was better than I thought, but the spicy sausage with basil (a more gourmet version of pepperoni) is still my favorite. It was a good dinner, and I only messed up slightly with my Italian. Anna was telling everyone how she’d had her 10^th anniversary at her job that week, and I mistook her thinking that a ten-year-old had come in and applied for a job that week. Oops. I was very rightly the butt of that joke for the rest of the evening. But if you can’t laugh at yourself life will be much less enjoyable.  

Sunday was sort of the day from hell. I decided to go into Milano to have lunch with Gabby, and from the moment I woke up I was in an alternate and extremely unlucky universe. I woke up late and then my cab to the station hit every red light. So when I got to the station I missed my train by 30 seconds. So I waited for the next train, but due to massive strikes by the regional train workers, the next 2 trains were cancelled. Since the regional trains were cancelled I had to upgrade my ticket to a high-speed train, and between that and my cab I used all my cash since the machine at the station wouldn’t take my card. Then when I got to Milano my metro ticket stopped working and I didn’t have money for another one. Then when I went to the ATM to get out more cash it wouldn’t accept my debit card. Neither would the other 3 ATMs I tried. So after another one of many panicked phone calls to Gabby, I did my best to look really sad and embarrassed and I bummed a ticket off of a very nice Scottish couple on vacation. My brother would be so proud. When I arrived for lunch 3 hours late, we made sure to go somewhere that accepted plastic. After lunch we made a trip to Arnold’s Coffee, which Gabby swears is the reincarnation of Starbucks in Milano. I believe it too since the logo is similar, the cups are white/black/green, and the line is out the door like they’re giving out money. Before standing in the giant line, we made sure to ask if they accepted credit cards, since Gabby was low on cash too. They assured us that they did, but what we found out after spending half an hour in line was that they only accept credit cards with the microchip. Stupid Europe, get with the magnetic strip already.

Monday was a heavenly and wonderful day. I went to Anna’s house in Brandico, which is about 20km from Brescia. She has a great house that is a perfect blend of her love of animals and her husband’s love of painting. They’ve got 2 cats, a dog, a garden tortoise, a beautiful aquarium, and countless fish. And nearly every room is beautifully faux painted. It’s a very cute and comfortable house. We had some coffee and talked a while, and then we took turns reading to each other. She reads so much better in English than I read in Italian. Apparently my pronunciation sounds ok, but I didn’t understand a damn thing I read. Italian has so many tenses!!!!! After that we watched a movie in English with Italian subtitles, the first time I’ve ever seen My Best Friends Girl (one of Anna’s favorites). After the movie we made Gnocchi alla Romagna, which is heavenly, delectable, buttery goodness in the form of gnocchi. Adriano also made us Chicken Marsala which was the best I’ve ever tasted. It was so much fun to cook because we took turns describing what we were doing in English and Italian. Educational and fun! It was like School House Rock but with red wine J After dinner, we decided to watch another movie before I overdosed on great food. We watched Avatar in Italian with English subtitles this time, and thanks mostly to the fact that I saw it 4 times in theaters, I understood almost all of it without reading the captions. I had to leave before it ended since it is a decent drive home and Monday was the end of my four day weekend. But it was an absolutely normal, relaxed, and PERFECT day. I can’t wait to do it again!

Things I’ve learned so far from clubs in Italy:

I am apparently the most obvious American in the world. I (happily) blame proper orthodontia. When people ran into the girls I was with they would automatically say “Scusi” and then if they bumped me they would look at me, hesitate and say “Oh, sorry” like it was stamped on my forehead that I speak English.

Shots is the same in English and Italian, the word, the concept and the lyrics.

Vodka is the same in English and Italian, thank god.

Shots in Italy are twice as expensive but twice as much fun.

Bottle service does exist in places other than MTV reality shows.

I am really really short. I know it- but I forget until I get lost in crowds.

Techo slowly murders the soul.

I cannot actually dance, although I can fake dance, which seems to get me by. This does not stop me from getting hit on by random guys, probably for the aforementioned fact that I’m am very obviously American which, for some reason beyond me, holds appeal for Italians.

Quick Update

I don't have any big travel news because I haven't done any traveling, but I thought I'd keep everyone updated on my last 2 weeks.

I finally found a language exchange partner! I met her when we went to a tiny and impossible to find village outside of Brescia to buy birthday rabbits from a badly placed Garden Superstore. The poor mother of the twins who received a gift that takes so much work... Anyways, Anna works there and was really excited to be my first authentic Italian friend in Brescia. It's really really nice having someone who isn't Egyptian, isn't 3 years old, and isn't an hour away that I can sit down and practice speaking Italian with. Anyways, she reads well in English but her speaking and listening comprehension are not quite up to par so I'm going to help her with her English and she's going to help me with my terrible grammar. Yay!

We spent a weekend in Rimini because their grandmother was in the hospital with a broken femur. I would definitely have to say that it was my best trip to Rimini yet. I finally got to explore the historical center and not just the boardwalk. I found a great little bead store, and picked up most of the pieces for my new turquoise bracelet that I made by having my ear talked of by the old poet that ran the place. I love interesting characters :) I found a great deal of those in Rimini and it made for a fantastic weekend.

When we got back to Brescia, I joined a gym. I've been looking for a used bike because I want some way to exercise and get around. But then I decided that in a gym I can exercise and meet people, and then I don't have to worry about being mowed down by insane Italian drivers. Plus when I thought about it, a bike didn't seem practical since I have access to a car and I kind of live on top of a steep mountain that only the hardcore, Lance Armstrong type cyclists go up when they're looking for an extra kick in the ass. So I am now a member of Virgin Fitness Club.

I feel like I could write an ethnography on the types of Italians that go to the gym. They're ALL skinny. Not even necessarily in shape or athletic (half of them just walk on the treadmill), just all skinny. The only other people in the gym with over 12% body fat were the woman that was cleaning the bathroom and a kid who looked like he'd been ordered onto a treadmill by his doctor. The women's locker room makes me feel somewhat like I time traveled to 7th grade gym class. Good thing that being an American has given me a resilient superiority complex. Italian people are renowned for their emphasis on great/occasion appropriate fashion, but for some reason I didn't expect this to carry over to the gym. Of course it does. Women in fur coats wheel their Louis Vuitton rolling suitcases into the locker room. Afterwards they emerge in only the latest color coordinating sportswear that overpriced sporting boutiques have to offer. I look sort of homeless in my worn out Drake t-shirt and my Target shorts. Between that and the super red face from not working out since I got here, it's no wonder I got some weird looks. But, I'm excited that I joined a gym and have actually gone. It's really hip and swanky with super high tech equipment and I got a really cheap membership rate, so it's win win for me and I get to do A LOT of interesting people watching when I'm there :)

We went to Milano today to take the kids for a spin in the center and then to the park. It was fun, but a spin in the center usually means shopping for whatever they want. Since the play room is overflowing and Alessia got so many toys between her birthday and Christmas, her dad told her mom NO MORE TOYS. Valentina is maybe worse than her kids in terms of being like a kid in a toy store, so we've now started buying toys and then hiding them from Giorgio. The really great thing is that my room was named the #1 hiding place because my mattress lifts up for storage. So not only do I feel like I'm helping to feed a terrible addiction, but now that we've returned from Milano it looks like the Disney store EXPLODED in my room. They bought so many toys and new Disney pajamas and dress up clothes today that I literally can't fit them all under my bed (especially not with all the empty boxes from the toys they bought last week that we are waiting for a diversion to throw away). I would find this really frustrating if it wasn't so hilarious/slightly pathetic. Talk about an enabler. Thank god that after 2 months of asking, they finally bought a new set of shelves so that I can make sense of some of the madness that is the play room. Lesson #1: when there is no more room to play, then you have too many toys.

I've got a four day weekend coming up on Friday, and since I need to pay off my credit card bill from my London trip still, I'm mostly sticking around Brescia. I'm excited because I haven't actually spent a free weekend just paling around and meeting more people here. I also want to go to Milano to see the last day of the Dali exhibit there and catch up with all of my friends in the city. That's mostly it for now. I let you know if anything exciting happens :)

England

England was a fantastic trip! I stayed up in Shropshire until New Year's Day and then I went down to Kent to see everyone and made a few forays into London :) London is my new obsession. When I grow up, I want to be a graphic designer in London.

Metal sculpture map of London

With all of the snow I was worried that my flight to London would be cancelled. It was delayed by 2 hours because of snow in Bergamo, but I made it. Because it was delayed I had to take the late bus to Birmingham, but Pete and Neti were kind enough to pick me up anyways. By the time we got home, it was 2 am so I had to give major props to Pete for staying awake to drive. He was great.

Shropshire was like a postcard when I first got there because all of the fields and the cute hedge lined roads were covered in snow. When the snow started to melt, it caused a lot of fog so most days it was like everyone was waiting for Jack the Ripper to pop out from behind trees as they loomed out of the haze. Needless to say, it was a pea souper (aren't English phrases great!).

In Shropshire me and Neti mostly hung around the house watching British soap operas and working our way through many bottles of wine. It was very nice after 3 months of screaming Italian children to just relax and have peace and quiet. Of course, the peace was less quiet when Sam and the kids came around but it was completely worth it to see Annette dance on the PlayStation Move. It was hilarious watching the videos of how ridiculous we all looked.

We went into Wrexham, Wales with Sam, Callum, and Layla to hit up some holiday sales and to watch Gulliver's Travels. Jack Black is legend, and movies in English rock my world. Two thumbs up.

The 3 couples of Oswestry, Neti and Pete- Jill and Nick- Sue and Martin, do everything together. They always get together when I'm in town, and we always have an unforgettable time. This occasion happened to be Nick's birthday and we all went out for a proper English pub dinner at Mad Jack's. We were joined by the fabulous Rachel, Sue and Martin's daughter, who was home from university on break. We caught up as we killed a bottle of Rosé over a delectable dinner, and she invited me out with her friends for New Year's Eve.

New Year's Eve in Oswestry was an experience. They go hard on the Welsh border. I woke up with a giant bruise and muddy feet and no recollection of how they came to be. We went to Rachel's friend Llinos's house to drink a few Sex on the Beach's and get ready. For the record Welsh names are particularly difficult to pronounce before and especially after cocktails. We were joined by the lovely Natalie and the rockin' awesome Jodie and after some more pre-gaming to the new Rhianna CD (thank god for exposer to current pop culture) we hit the town. We went to two pubs --the second was named The Boar's Head and I swear came straight out of a stereotypical American movie about British people-- and both were a blast. We tore up the dance floor at both of them, before ending the night with a kebab for the ride home. Rachel was such a blast and the most fantastic hostess, she made it an excellent New Year's Eve. Oswestry wasn't glamorous- it was just the local crowd hanging out in the pub, maybe drinking, dancing, and dressing up a little more than usual...but it was genuine. And more importantly it was genuinely the best time ever. Awesome night!

Since I have no NYE photos I've put a sign from the London Underground in their place. Appropriate, I feel. 

This trip was a disaster for pictures. Up in Shropshire I was too busy relaxing to be bothered to take many pictures before New Year's. When New Year's Eve came I was determined to have photo documentation, but I left my camera at Llinos's house before we went out. Then when I got it back, the battery was dead. And when I tried to recharge the battery, my charger wouldn't fit into my UK wall adapter. When I borrowed another adapter it still didn't fit. Thus, all of these photos were taken with my iPhone and may or may not look like they were taken by a drunken 8-year-old. 

In Kent we went to visit the rest of the fam. We had EXCELLENT Indian take-out at Del and Jenny's and watched the Hangover. Then the next day we went to visit Grandad Bob and Alpina, ran into Cat and Dan, and stopped at Mark and Vicky's to say hi and play with the kids. I feel old, kids that were 3 when I first met them what seems like a short time ago, are now 11. It's kind of surreal. 

That night Jaimie and Ant took me to the local Orpington pub with one of their friends. His name is Dan, but they both affectionately know him as Ginger or Ging, owing to the fact that he is a freakishly tall and freckly redhead. He had a proper cockney accent and I could probably listen to him talk forever. Cockney intrigues me, it's like double dutch that has survived beyond the 6th grade. 

I stayed with Jaimie and Ant while I was in Kent and crashed on their couch. I've never had better hotel service in my life. Ant cooked a fantastic meal every night I was there, the turn down service was impeccable, and the hotel bar was always open. We had a good time watching comedians from the UK and testing whether I could understand their heavy Scottish or Geordie accents. We played drinking games, sang obnoxious songs, watched movies, shared stories, talked with helium, and had a raucous good time in general. Best hotel I know. 

I went into London twice while I was in the south of England. The first time, me and Ant went in together for the day while Jaimie had to work. Since I'd never seen Harrod's he said it was a must see. Harrod's proves one thing to me. Money can't buy taste. It is a store bigger than a city block that would take DAYS to go through every department and floor, and it is absolutely full with wildly overpriced designer things. Most of them more hideous than the last. The only redeemable qualities of Harrod's were the Egyptian staircase, the giant floor of international delicacies, and of course, the bears. While we were there, we also went to the theater so I could squeeze in one more movie in English before leaving. We watched Love and Other Drugs which was really good and not as corny or predictable as RomCom's usually are. Ant was happy because he expected a chick flick and then Anne Hathaway spent half the movie naked. I was happy because so did Jake Gyllenhaal :)

Cait and the giant Harrod's bear.

Cait and the Harrod's doorman.

The second time I went in by myself to have lunch with Cat and walk around. We ate in a cute cafe that was a reclaimed train dock in Bethnal Green. After lunch I walked around Shoreditch and hit up the Spitalfields Market. My amber jewelry guy from 2 years ago wasn't there that day, but I asked and he's still around. I won't lose hope of replacing my lost necklace :(  But I'm so in LOVE with London. All of the swanky little neighborhoods with the artsy little shopping streets. It's like an indie artist's dream. Now it's my dream. I can't wait! Give me 3 years or so and I'll see you there. 

Building in Shoreditch, London. I would live in Shoreditch if I thought I was hipster enough to pull it off.

Favorite British sayings:

pea souper = so foggy you can't see

bubble and squeak = Greek

Alan Wicker's = knickers

knickers = underwear

Favorite British prefixes:

well= ex. "That suitcase is well heavy." or "I am well drunk."

proper= ex. "I can't find my wallet. I am proper screwed."

Favorite British foods:

well matured cheese and cream crackers!

TEA

salt and vinegar chips

Yorkshire pudding

fish and chips

steak and ale pie 

minced pies with double cream

bread pudding

shepard's pie

Cornish pasty