And lots more. It's been gorgeous lately.
I head to Copenhagen early tomorrow, and present that afternoon. Starting to feel jittery... friends were the perfect distraction.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friends in Town
We were lucky enough to play host to Julie and Dave in the beginning of their Switzerland/Italy/Africa trip. It was an easy couple of days... lots of balcony time, walking along the lake, good wine, and late night conversations. I love having friends in town.
We took matching pictures.
Friday, May 27, 2011
3 Months! And I want to keep my black flats...
I just realized we only have three more months in Lugano. Three months! And just when I was getting used to saying five.
One thing I will miss (1 of 100)... friends that are easy. When we moved here, there was no such thing. I distinctly remember Ryan saying, "I wish we could go watch football at Eddie's house." Eddie and Lauren are easy friends. They're kind, happy to see us, with a door that's always open. Nothing to do on a Sunday? No thinking or effort required... just one text message and suddenly you're on their couch.
But when you move to a new place, you don't have that luxury. Making new friends is a bit like new shoes. It's the opposite of comfortable. You try some on, but they don't really fit. You find pretty ones. But do you push through the blisters or ditch the effort and start over? And let's be honest... you have bunions. Shoe change is genetically difficult for you. You miss your old shoes (the ones you had for years, that your husband convinced you to throw away, because the holes in the bottom meant you needed the bus when it rained).
But now, you're comfortable. And even though the process was painful, you can appreciate it, because it led to new shoes. We have fancy ones. They might be high maintenance, but they're always fun. We have bright colors. You don't wear them all the time, but when you do, they make you happy. And then, we have classic, black flats. They're easy. They go with everything. And even though you love all your shoes, you feel most like yourself in this pair.
Tonight was a black flat kind of night.
The upside to starting over? Shoes are awesome. I can shop for them for hours.
Besides, those old shoes... I didn't really throw them away. They're in a closet at home, and I can't wait to put them back on.
One thing I will miss (1 of 100)... friends that are easy. When we moved here, there was no such thing. I distinctly remember Ryan saying, "I wish we could go watch football at Eddie's house." Eddie and Lauren are easy friends. They're kind, happy to see us, with a door that's always open. Nothing to do on a Sunday? No thinking or effort required... just one text message and suddenly you're on their couch.
But when you move to a new place, you don't have that luxury. Making new friends is a bit like new shoes. It's the opposite of comfortable. You try some on, but they don't really fit. You find pretty ones. But do you push through the blisters or ditch the effort and start over? And let's be honest... you have bunions. Shoe change is genetically difficult for you. You miss your old shoes (the ones you had for years, that your husband convinced you to throw away, because the holes in the bottom meant you needed the bus when it rained).
But now, you're comfortable. And even though the process was painful, you can appreciate it, because it led to new shoes. We have fancy ones. They might be high maintenance, but they're always fun. We have bright colors. You don't wear them all the time, but when you do, they make you happy. And then, we have classic, black flats. They're easy. They go with everything. And even though you love all your shoes, you feel most like yourself in this pair.
Tonight was a black flat kind of night.
The upside to starting over? Shoes are awesome. I can shop for them for hours.
Besides, those old shoes... I didn't really throw them away. They're in a closet at home, and I can't wait to put them back on.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Our Favorite French Baby
Our old neighbors, Elsa & William, were in town from Florence and stopped by for dinner. They were one baby short... Milo was with his grandmother, but Leonie had enough energy for two. And she LOVED saying my name. We kept trying to make her say Ryan, but only MALEEENDAAAA came out.
Elsa showed me this cool photo app... hopefully, I'll get better with the lenses.
Elsa showed me this cool photo app... hopefully, I'll get better with the lenses.
Baby likes Beastie Boys.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Weekends are Fun
Ours was. It came after a long week... my internship group put our final presentation together, and got the green light from our professors on Friday. This week, we will add a few suggested slides, write the report, and get ready for the real deal in Copenhagen. I'm way more excited than nervous now... the professors really seemed to like our project, so I'm hopeful we'll get similar reviews in Denmark.
Today was much easier... we had lunch in the center, got ice cream, and walked by the lake. Don't let Ryan's face fool you... the chocolate was fantastic. He just thinks this is a good look. Hopefully, he reads the blog.
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Saturday night. There was an event where a number of bands played at restaurants scattered around the center. We walked around, trying to find one we liked, and stumbled upon rappers at Burger King. I so wish I could have captured it - three white guys, one on turntables, and a crowd full of well dressed teenagers, standing quietly.
We ended up finding a pizza place with a view of the lake and a band playing Johnny Cash. It was a good time. So good, we ordered another carafe of house wine, and stayed a while. The weather's nice enough that you don't mind walking home, which means staying out later than the buses run. If it's really hot or cold, you either go home at 11:30 or fork over a small fortune for a cab (think 3 cantaloupes).
PS - If you haven't read Bossypants, do it now.
After presenting a semester's worth of findings, we had cause to celebrate! It started in a little bar off campus, and continued into the streets of Como. At some point, we all realized this was our last campus presentation, and with no more classes, group projects, or exams, we were just a thesis away from graduation. This was harder for my classmates to accept, probably because I've only recently gotten used to being a student, and for them, it's the end of a longer road. Still, the emotion was not lost on me (it never is).
Another reason to celebrate... after our night out in Italy, Ryan and I successfully caught a late night train back to Lugano! No delays, missed trains, or apologetic car rides to Switzerland.
The next morning, we decided to spice up our routine Saturday grocery run. We wanted more prosciutto and cantaloupe, and thought it might be fun to buy from the fancy fruit store and the famous meat market. $80 later, we ate the best p&c money could buy. It's ridiculous, and even though it was good, there's no need to do it again. For the sake of full disclosure, that $80 did also buy us 3 pomegranates and 6 apples. It was almost a bargain.
Our apartment has been filled with fruit lately... it's part of our "tighten it up" plan. I'm failing, but Ryan's nailing it, riding his bike for an hour every day up the mountain, with multiple hour rides on the weekend. On Saturday, I wanted to join in the fun, so I tagged along with Ryan and our friend Tom on what was supposed to be an easy cycle. And it was, until we hit a mountain. Apparently, you can't go far around here without reaching some sort of incline. After only 10 minutes of hard, uphill pedaling, I had enough.
Today was much easier... we had lunch in the center, got ice cream, and walked by the lake. Don't let Ryan's face fool you... the chocolate was fantastic. He just thinks this is a good look. Hopefully, he reads the blog.
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Saturday night. There was an event where a number of bands played at restaurants scattered around the center. We walked around, trying to find one we liked, and stumbled upon rappers at Burger King. I so wish I could have captured it - three white guys, one on turntables, and a crowd full of well dressed teenagers, standing quietly.
We ended up finding a pizza place with a view of the lake and a band playing Johnny Cash. It was a good time. So good, we ordered another carafe of house wine, and stayed a while. The weather's nice enough that you don't mind walking home, which means staying out later than the buses run. If it's really hot or cold, you either go home at 11:30 or fork over a small fortune for a cab (think 3 cantaloupes).
PS - If you haven't read Bossypants, do it now.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Prosciutto e Melone
Cantaloupe is in season, so you see this combination on menus a lot these days. It's always hard for me to pass up... cool, sweet melon paired with soft, salty ham. So tonight, I decided to bring the restaurant experience home. Really, I decided to make something that would only take three minutes to prepare. Either way, it was lovely.
I love that the fruit aways tastes great here, I love that regular grocery stores bake fresh bread (we ate pieces from a warm loaf), and I love parma ham. Have you heard of parma ham? Prosciutto di Parma is worth knowing about. You're familiar with Parmesan cheese. It's called Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italian. Which basically means hard cheese from Parma, a city in Italy, hence the Parmigiano and Parmesan. It's not just cheese this city's famous for... the ham is just as tasty.
Ryan and I were ravenous, eating from the same plate, and filling up twice. He's been riding his bike for at least an hour everyday. And I, I have no excuse. I'm just hungry. Now, I'm sipping spicy Chianti and enjoying this view. Those flowers, that empty plate and my full stomach, and Ryan, who is watching videos of synchronized metronomes at the moment. What a beautiful and completely odd way to end a post.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Recent Happenings
Sorry about the blog silence... nothing personal, just not a particularly eventful week.
We did, however, have a great time in Zurich a couple of weeks ago. The weather was amazing, which, for our visits, is rare. And we were able to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by actually eating Mexican food (not so easy to do in Lugano). We also found Hurlimann beer, which was part of our very first Zurich experience. It was as good as we remembered.
We've been having beautiful weather here lately, and upon returning from Zurich, we were able to enjoy the park with friends. The water is starting to change from blue to green, we imagine because of plant growth associated with higher water temperatures, but that's based on loose science (plants like sun), not actual fact. We don't really know why it changes color. Either way, the park provides a great view of said lake, and is ideal on sunny days like this one.
On Saturday we went to Milan, hoping to see the AC Milan team parade through the city, celebrating their Italian cup championship. However, we missed our train, and arrived just as everyone was leaving. We could only imagine the fun that was had, based on the enormous mess left behind.
Saturday wasn't a total loss... we went out with Ryan's friend from work, and got to see a part of the city we'd never been to before. We liked it, and will definitely be back.
Unfortunately, our train luck continued, and we showed up at the station for the last train of the night only to see that it was delayed indefinitely. We ended up getting a ride home from our friend, who was nice enough to drive us all the way to Lugano. But it doesn't always work out that way... about a month ago we went out with the same friend, and didn't think to ask him to wait, to see if we'd actually get on the train. We were stuck in Como at 1:30 in the morning for 2 hours, then stuck in Chiasso for 45 minutes, before returning home three hours later than expected (the whole trip start to finish should only take about 30 minutes). Being stuck in Como is nice, unless it's the middle of the night, and nothing's open. Then it's just creepy. If we could hop in a delorean and do this whole experience over again, we'd get a car. Sometimes, relying on the public system is great. Other times, not so much.
We did, however, have a great time in Zurich a couple of weeks ago. The weather was amazing, which, for our visits, is rare. And we were able to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by actually eating Mexican food (not so easy to do in Lugano). We also found Hurlimann beer, which was part of our very first Zurich experience. It was as good as we remembered.
I am loving Zurich. Ryan is starting to not love pictures.
We've been having beautiful weather here lately, and upon returning from Zurich, we were able to enjoy the park with friends. The water is starting to change from blue to green, we imagine because of plant growth associated with higher water temperatures, but that's based on loose science (plants like sun), not actual fact. We don't really know why it changes color. Either way, the park provides a great view of said lake, and is ideal on sunny days like this one.
On Saturday we went to Milan, hoping to see the AC Milan team parade through the city, celebrating their Italian cup championship. However, we missed our train, and arrived just as everyone was leaving. We could only imagine the fun that was had, based on the enormous mess left behind.
Saturday wasn't a total loss... we went out with Ryan's friend from work, and got to see a part of the city we'd never been to before. We liked it, and will definitely be back.
Unfortunately, our train luck continued, and we showed up at the station for the last train of the night only to see that it was delayed indefinitely. We ended up getting a ride home from our friend, who was nice enough to drive us all the way to Lugano. But it doesn't always work out that way... about a month ago we went out with the same friend, and didn't think to ask him to wait, to see if we'd actually get on the train. We were stuck in Como at 1:30 in the morning for 2 hours, then stuck in Chiasso for 45 minutes, before returning home three hours later than expected (the whole trip start to finish should only take about 30 minutes). Being stuck in Como is nice, unless it's the middle of the night, and nothing's open. Then it's just creepy. If we could hop in a delorean and do this whole experience over again, we'd get a car. Sometimes, relying on the public system is great. Other times, not so much.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Monte Tamaro
Ryan and I, along with our friend Marco, participated a very Swiss activity on Saturday... hiking Monte Tamaro.
We tried going to the top, but ran into a bit of snow. Some steps could hold your weight, and others sent your foot sinking through up to your knee. We eventually had to turn around, and slide down on our jackets.
Our makeshift jacket sleds weren't the only attraction. We tried the zip line! Which was SO much fun. It's a shame it wasn't a clearer day... there are tons of mountain tops in the background of this picture.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Weekend in Tuscany
We have been on sort of a vacation spree these last few weeks. As I write this, I'm in a hotel room in Zurich (but we'll get to that later), and last weekend was one of my all time favorites... Tuscany!
It was my friend, Laura's, idea. Her family has a house there, so five of us (friends from school + Ryan) drove down last Friday. The house's location could not have been more idyllic... it was in and amongst green, rolling hills with vineyards on each side, and was only a short distance from the sea. We visited old towns, tried local dishes (which always featured the meat of wild boar that roam the surrounding area), and had great wine. But what set this vacation apart was the group dynamic... it felt like a college road trip, and that's not something we get to experience a lot in Europe. Here are the highlights.
We spent some time at the house, mostly playing volleyball or cards, and taking in the view. I even got to feed the neighbor's animals. No big mouth pictures this time... just me, a horse and a donkey, and handfulls of sweet grass.
Laura's family was great. Her mother is from the US, but her parents grew up in Italy. Her father is Italian, but his mother is American. It all made for a good story over dinner.
We went out one night. We ate dinner at a pizza place that automatically brings you about 10 different appetizers, all before the main course even begins. They included white beans in olive oil, assorted slices of meat, wild boar ragu on bread, an Italian version of ratatouille, spinach omelets, ham omelets, anchovies with red onions in oil... I can't remember them all, but they were fantastic. And all of this before the pizza, before dessert, and before placing bottles of limoncello and grappa on the table.
We visited three very old cities (one of which was Volterra - can't remember the rest).
And came across this sculpture. It was standing straight up on the side of the road, on top of the hill, and wouldn't budge.
The last day might have been the most memorable. The highlight was a trip to the small grocery at the center of Laura's little town. Two brothers ran the store, and if you wanted to buy cheese, they took you to the cheese room, and made you try at least three. Then, if you wanted salami, they took you to the meat room and made you try at least six. We had to leave, otherwise we would have gone on to taste the oils. All taste tests are accompanied by little glasses of red wine. And it's all homemade! They hunt/slaughter the animals for the meat, make the cheese, and harvest their own grapes and olives. This was an amazing experience.
This meat room alone is unbelievable... here, he's carving a pig they roasted (look up porchetta) the night before, giving us pieces of the best meat I've ever tasted. And look at the walls and ceilings - this place was COVERED in legs! We walked away with two big hunks of cheese, a bottle of olive oil, spicy salami, and wild boar prosciutto. After checking out, Ryan asked about the homemade beer that was near the counter, and the guy said - just try it - and put it in our bag. I love Italy!!!
We spent the end of our day on the beach. We had porchetta sandwiches, the boys played soccer, and we all rested and soaked up the sun. Really, really, really great weekend!
It was my friend, Laura's, idea. Her family has a house there, so five of us (friends from school + Ryan) drove down last Friday. The house's location could not have been more idyllic... it was in and amongst green, rolling hills with vineyards on each side, and was only a short distance from the sea. We visited old towns, tried local dishes (which always featured the meat of wild boar that roam the surrounding area), and had great wine. But what set this vacation apart was the group dynamic... it felt like a college road trip, and that's not something we get to experience a lot in Europe. Here are the highlights.
We spent some time at the house, mostly playing volleyball or cards, and taking in the view. I even got to feed the neighbor's animals. No big mouth pictures this time... just me, a horse and a donkey, and handfulls of sweet grass.
Laura's family was great. Her mother is from the US, but her parents grew up in Italy. Her father is Italian, but his mother is American. It all made for a good story over dinner.
We went out one night. We ate dinner at a pizza place that automatically brings you about 10 different appetizers, all before the main course even begins. They included white beans in olive oil, assorted slices of meat, wild boar ragu on bread, an Italian version of ratatouille, spinach omelets, ham omelets, anchovies with red onions in oil... I can't remember them all, but they were fantastic. And all of this before the pizza, before dessert, and before placing bottles of limoncello and grappa on the table.
We visited three very old cities (one of which was Volterra - can't remember the rest). 
And came across this sculpture. It was standing straight up on the side of the road, on top of the hill, and wouldn't budge.
The last day might have been the most memorable. The highlight was a trip to the small grocery at the center of Laura's little town. Two brothers ran the store, and if you wanted to buy cheese, they took you to the cheese room, and made you try at least three. Then, if you wanted salami, they took you to the meat room and made you try at least six. We had to leave, otherwise we would have gone on to taste the oils. All taste tests are accompanied by little glasses of red wine. And it's all homemade! They hunt/slaughter the animals for the meat, make the cheese, and harvest their own grapes and olives. This was an amazing experience.
This meat room alone is unbelievable... here, he's carving a pig they roasted (look up porchetta) the night before, giving us pieces of the best meat I've ever tasted. And look at the walls and ceilings - this place was COVERED in legs! We walked away with two big hunks of cheese, a bottle of olive oil, spicy salami, and wild boar prosciutto. After checking out, Ryan asked about the homemade beer that was near the counter, and the guy said - just try it - and put it in our bag. I love Italy!!!
We spent the end of our day on the beach. We had porchetta sandwiches, the boys played soccer, and we all rested and soaked up the sun. Really, really, really great weekend!
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