My week (and then some) vacation!

Bologna-- check!

Venice-- check!

Austria-- check!

Slovenia-- check!

Needless to say.. the trip has been a success! I have seen beautiful aqua lakes, breathtaking mountains, gondolas in Venezia and have even got to experience some American stuff on the Air Force base. I have tons of pictures-- they will be uploaded ASAP when I get back, but for now, I am using Brittany and Josh's computer, and my laptop doesn't have internet. 

It has been so nice staying at the Farrar's! They have made me feel right at home, and have completely opened up their home and gone out of their way to show me around the area! They have a sweet boxer named Lola! Although I feel like I have been cheating on Jack letting Lola sleep by my feet under the covers, it has been really nice to have that for a little while. 

Lets see.. Thursday maybe-- Paolo (the dad) had called me twice while we were out. I was worried, and thought something may have happened. I called him back and he sounded ok but said we needed to "discuss" something.  It made me worried, but I went upstairs so I could hear him. Nothing was wrong at all, and he was calling to tell me that they were gonna stay an extra 5 days! Who in their right mind does that? When my family planned a vacation, we came home when the trip was up-- there wasn't anything else we could do! I guess they were still having fun, so why leave, right? That's a big difference in Italians and Americans. Italians just do what they want and don't really care about much else besides time off and espresso! Pretty cool if you ask me-- So I am staying at Brittany and Josh's until Friday and trying to help with as much as possible! They are moving this week, but they don't really have to do much because the military does it for them!

It's gonna be weird to go back to work cause I have been off for so long! It has been a nice break and my time left is so short!

xoxoxoxo, Linds

Have I mentioned I am excited for Saturday?

Ok. Wow. 

I cannot believe I have been in Italy for seven whole weeks. That is insane!

Today it rained all day! It has not rained once since we got to the beach, but today was storming like crazy! It was a nice break, but bad news is-- no dryer. Therefore, if the sun doesn't come out tomorrow, we have a lot of wet clothes :) .

Saturday the family leaves for Sardinia. I will be on a train on my way to the East coast of Italy! I am so excited to see Brittany and meet her husband Josh! She took off the week from work, so I feel like a really special guest! I think I mentally need a break from the family because the mom can be a little moody. I try to stay positive-- I mean, that's just who I am-- but her pregnancy hormones are all over the place! haha. The boys are great though. Antonio is making really good sentances in English, I am so proud of him. Today he looks at me and says, "Lindsay, today in the house, it is very cold." His mother almost fell out of her chair. He speaks a lot of English to me, but I don't think she realized how good he has become! For a boy who will not be 6 until November, and knew very little before I got here, he is doing fantastic. He also loves his new saying, "Please do not touch me." He is saying it constantly to his brother, other children at the playground, etc. Pretty funny...

Ceasare's birthday was yesterday! We had a phenomenal "torte"! Chocolate is not my favorite by any means, but it was good! Oh, and by the way... my cheesecake was perfect!! It was so good, and I was so happy with myself cause the ingrediants are different here-- my slight changes paid off!

My train ride to Brittany's includes a little layover in Bologna. I don't think I will find the Oscar Mayer factory, but I will keep you updated on what I see. Found a really neat ferry that goes up in to Switzerland from the next house we stay in. That is exciting.. I didn't know I would be leaving Italy!

Got to see Jack yesterday! Thank you Thad!! We used tinychat. It is a cool website that works like Skype, only you can videochat with lots of people at once. Always good seeing my little guy. Not having him is the worst part of being gone! We went to a friend's house this morning and they had two Jack Russels. I was in heaven! Lots of kisses and jumping-- perfection!

I can't believe it is almost August.. time is flllyyyyyiiinnnngggg.

xoxoxoxo, Lindsay

Here is the scoop on Italia. Pronto? Via!

Things I Love:

1. Things stay open til Midnight or later. The whole country is like a big taco bell commercial. :) If you need something, you no longer have to go to a 24 hour Walmart.. Dolce and Gabanna, Souvenier shops, All the gelato shops, you name it... all open very late.

2. Holiday. Why work the month of August, really? Parts of Italy practically shut down in August. Milan for example, a huge banking capital for Italy... practically deserted. Everyone leaves and heads for the coast, or somewhere more interesting to say the least. They all get practically an entire month off of work and do what they please. 

3. 90% of people (at least) can speak two languages. Obviously not completely fluent all the time, but they are much more intelligent in the fact that they have taken the time to learn it. Foreign travellers are much better off in Italy than in the US. If an Italian person came in to Panera, they would be shit out of luck, and they would simply have to point. 

4. Cheese and wine! It's good, and there are lots of it!

5. It really is beautiful here. When you take some time to get out of the cities and really touristy parts of Italy, there are some breathtaking views that I am certain are one of a kind. Tuscany has been amazing, and there will be nothing else in my life like Chianti.

6. You can take your dog everywhere. It doesn't matter if it is a grocery store, pharamacy, or clothing store, your dog is for the most part, welcome. Don't get me wrong, I have seen a handful of stores with no dog stickers, but they are rare. 

7. People are much more prone to traveling. I think that Americans are workaholics after being here. These people take tons of weekend trips, and tend to leave their worries behind.

8. Cars. Ferrari, Lamborghini, so what-- their coolness factor is dropping a little, just because they are so common. :)

With all that being said: Italy isn't my favorite place on earth. For one, my family and friends are really far away! That is the worst part about being here, but I get over that one cause I know I will be home soon. Italians have very dry personalities- if they are not dry, they simply don't care about getting to know new people. They have friends, and they have people in their lives, they don't need you. Italian men like American women ( don't ask me why, I don't really see the fascination), but besides that, unless they are trying to sell you something, they just want to know why you are here. I am too outgoing for this country! The country side was my favorite so far! I love the beach, but do not understand how these people manage to go everyday. Everyone does it. They wake up every morning and go to the beach. No questions asked. For the past 25 days, that is where I have been, and I will be there til this coming Saturday (if you are looking for me)! The kids want to do something else, but that doesn't matter- we go to the beach, that's just what we do. Have I mentioned there is no air conditioning? I promise that on my next visit (I will be back), I will be staying at a hotel or it will be winter. There is no reconsidering the previous statement. 

I am so lucky to have seen all the things I have seen this summer so far. I can't believe I have already been here this long. I don't think I will make it to Southern Italy this trip, which sucks, but I have the North covered, and Southern Italy has so much that it could easily be a trip by itself. Starting Saturday the 31st, I have the week off and I am going to be staying just North of Venice. A friend from Johnson and Wales got married to a military guy and they are stationed there. I talked to her today, and I am excited to be able to experience some American things on the base. Italians don't stray much from their own culture, so I have missed some things from home. I will be able to see Venice and explore the east coast!