We had a great time in Verona with my friends Maja and Carlo. Maja lived with me when she was an exchange masters program student at UNF when I was in undergrad. It was so funny because we both said that even though 7 years have passed, it felt the same as it did back when we lived together. Except now, she has two beautiful, smart and sweet girls added in the mix. We had such a fun weekend.. It is definitely a plus to have a personal tour guide of the area, and a native speaker to help order food and whatnot. I often feel scared to talk because I know hardly any Italian, except scuzi and gratzi!
We arrived Friday evening after being at a train station for most of the day, and it was so nice to have Carlo pick us up rather, rather than having to navigate public transportation or walking. It's the little things. :) we walked out of the train station and standing right there was Carlo with a big smile on his face, just as I remembered him from back in the day. He took us to their apartment, and when we pulled into the garage, there was Maja and their two girls to greet us. It was such a good feeling, to see old friends and meet their new additions.
Maja cooked us a yummy pasta dinner, which was much needed after a day of traveling. I'm usually not a big Italian food lover, but since being in Italy I have discovered how much good, quality ingredients make. Everything here is very basic, with simple yet fresh ingredients and that makes all the difference. Now I fully understand Anthony Bourdain's extreme angst toward Olive Garden ("Olives don't even grow in a garden!") because the stuff we get that is labeled "Italian food" is so far removed from what the real stuff is like.. And people here are so fit! Despite eating pasta almost everyday and pizza on the regular, Maja and Carlo are so trim and healthy. It's all about the ingredients, preparation, and balance, and it seems back home we do not have that balance or the ingredients available here. We are told that pasta and carbs are evil.. I asked what the gluten free movement was like over here, and they said that while some people here try to do gluten free as a way to get slim, the Italian government is against it. I'm sure if you really have wheat or gluten allergy it is a hard place to live.. Pizza, pasta, and bread are a daily part of Italian life..I guess it's such an ingrained part of their culture that gimmicks (especially if you have no celiac or gluten sensitivity) are rarely as widespread as back home. I will admit I have had a hard time with all the carbs and pasta, I feel like my body is in a carbo shock mode and my stomach has had some issues, but I will never turn down a good home cooked meal..
Anyways, we had dinner and reminisced about old times and caught up on what has been happening since back in 2006. We turned in pretty early as Maja said we had a big day ahead of us the next day, with sightseeing and even a trip to a surprise location!
Saturday we walked all around Verona. After being in a big city for a few days, we finally were able to see the Italy we had imagined in our minds.. Big, old pastel painted buildings with balconies and shutters, big stone walls circling the city, and outdoor markets lined up in the city center.. Here's some pictures from our walk in Verona. We even did get to see the famed balcony of Juiliet (or so they say) and the gate with hundreds of locks displaying the names of couples in love... It was a sunny, mild beautiful day and was so nice and relaxing after being among the hustle and bustle of Milan.
After a nice long walk, we headed home for some down time before going to the surprise place they had in store.... Which turned out to be going to a tennis club on the top of the hill for a game of doubles! After all the carbs, food, and fermented grapes it was a much needed and appreciated surprise! We were all terrible, hitting the ball into the other court at least 10 times and disrupting their serious game, but it was a lot of fun. Paul and I play tennis for fun back home when it's nice outside, but we have never played doubles before. Definitely a good time, followed by some brick oven pizza that I liked much more than the thick Milano pizza.. Thin crispy crust with tons of veggies and not overloaded with cheese.. Yum!
After a long day, we came home and picked up the girls from grandma's, who just happens to below above Maja and Carlo. Talk about your typical Italian mother, and we even got to meet great-grandma, who is a spritely 80 something and the sweetest little lady I've met in Italy. Italian families are so family oriented, I love it. Especially Maja and Carlo with their little girls.. They are doing a remarkable job, I think their family is so cute!
Yesterday we headed out for a day at Lake Garde, which is about 30 minutes from Verona. It's one of the largest lakes in Italy, and the water is so beautiful and crystal clear. You can see all the way to the bottom!
We started our day at a village (which I can't remember the name of, but it was beautiful) and had lunch at a local restaurant. Again an amazing meal, I opted for fish and vegetables instead of pasta, but the pasta Paul had looked heavenly, loaded with mussels (better than we had in Brussels), shrimp, squid, fish, clams, etc. I think I would must have had a nap after eating that much at lunch but he was a champ, even with the prosecco accompaniment. We took a much needed walk down the shore to the another village dotted along the lake, which ended up being a 1.5 hour walk! I got some great pictures.
Amelia had a face off with a swan.
A gigantic dog!
Maja and Joia feeding the swan
Carolina, Carlo, and Joia
We made our way back to the car (another 1.5 hour walk) and luckily our iPhones had the flashlight thing on it because it got dark pretty quickly! My regular flashlight was in my small backpack which was at the house, just in case those of you in my family who loooove flashlights were wondering. :) lesson learned, keep a flashlight in my purse just in case. You never know when you will be walking on a trail in the dark! :)
We made it back to the car unscathed and made our way to Maja and Carlo's local family friendly pub for a little snack and some good company. Thanks to these two, I've discovered a drink that I like a lot, called Spritz. It's a mixture of sparkling water, prosecco, and a bitter liquer with a slice of orange.. So I had a spritz and we relaxed a bit before heading back to the apartment.. We were all spent from the long walk :)
It was sad to leave Maja and Carlo in Verona.. They said they felt like they were on vacation because they were speaking English! We felt like we had a home, because we had such a good time with them and their family. I'm hoping they make their way back over to Florida so we can take them around and show them how much has changed.. The girls would love Disney, too. It is so nice to reconnect with friends!
In about 10 minutes we will be arriving to Florence, and our host Guido will be picking us up. Such a relief! We are looking forward to exploring yet another beautiful Italian city.. More to come soon!
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