Three Years

Monday was my three year anniversary of living in Italy!

It is bizarre to write that because it does not feel like it has been that long. I remember deciding to come here and how nonchalant I was about it. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and how this experience would change my life. At first, I was to stay here for six months but that turned into a year and then another year and all of a sudden I have lived here for three years. In the end I guess in large part it comes down to expectations. When I came here I had certain expectations (I would quickly become fluent in Italian, I would easily make the transition into the Italian culture and lifestyle) and of course, as it usually happens, the reality was very different. I guess I am still trying to bridge that gap. There are still so many things to learn and challenges to face that it feels impossible that I have been here for three years - aren't I suppose to be an expat, Italian expert by now?

To commemorate this anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share some excerpts from a journal I was keeping when I first arrived. These are some of the things that surprised me about life in Italy during my first few days here:

"People dress fancier here than in the US (i.e. no flip flops, hoodies, regular jeans)."

"Coffee always equals espresso and people drink it like shots of liquor. Nobody gets it to go. You stand at the bar, drink it quickly and leave."

"The keys to the front door look like they are for a castle."

"Eggs are not refrigerated at the grocery store."

"There are no dryers. You see people's laundry hanging out of their apartments everywhere."

 The funny thing about writing this post is how normal all of these things seem now.

So maybe in the end I have learned more and integrated more deeply into the lifestyle than I notice or give myself credit for.

Snow!!

It snowed in Bologna!



This was the scene from our back patio this morning.

This morning, I was dutifully hitting the snooze button and avoiding getting out of bed when Andrea walked in and said, "I have a problem...I don't know if I am going to be able to go to work because there is so much SNOW!". I literally flew out of bed and ran to the window to check it out. Then I threw on my coat, hat and a pair of shoes to go out on the patio to take pictures.



For this California girl, who has never really lived anywhere where it snows, it was a pretty exciting way to start the day!



scooters buried in the snow



The streets around our house were empty this morning as most people opted to stay home.



It continued to snow all morning and into the afternoon. After lunch, Andrea and I went for a walk in the city center. It is amazing how the snow made me look at the city in a whole new light and with a renewed appreciation and excitement.



trees heavy with snow

 


bikes in the snow

 


People flocked to Piazza Maggiore to marvel at and play in the snow.
There were snowmen being built, snow ball fights in progress and people making snow angels.

 


a snowman standing proud in front of San Petronio

 


Neptune covered in snow



Piazza Santo Stefano



It was a magical day! The snow has stopped now after dumping a record 45 cm (1.47 feet). I hope that we get at least a little more in the coming days. Bologna truly was transformed into a winter wonderland and it was fun to enjoy the city in a new way and to tromp through the snow without a care and to feel reconnected with simpler pleasures.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

La Cova Fumada

La Cova Fumada, in Barcelona, is one of my favorite restaurants in the world which I think is saying a lot seeing as I have lived in Italy for the past three years! We discovered the restaurant last year after reading about it on Food and Wine's website (FYI their website is a great place to find awesome restaurant recommendations). I have to say that if we had not read that recommendation we probably would not have gone in because the outside doesn't look like much...





Waiting out front of the Cova Fumada for a table. The wait isn't so bad when they have already served  you your first round of beer.



The inside doesn't look like much either, the whole restaurant including the kitchen is contained in one big, open room, but we knew it would be good by the crazy amount of people inside. Every seat in the place was occupied and there was a crowd of people standing around the small bar sipping Estrella Damm beer and eating and another crowd of people occupying any space they could while they waited for a coveted spot at one of the few tables.



This is the entire inside of the restaurant. The kitchen (pictured below) is just to the right and is completely open to the room.


 


The kitchen - I love the grandma looking lady in the apron.







The beer fridge - packed full with Estrella Damm.


When you order a beer here you don't say what kind you want you just say big or small.



Our meal was delicious. Like in many places in Barcelona, here they serve small plates of food so you can order and try a lot of different things. I think we must of ordered almost everything on the menu but some of our favorites included the small artichokes cooked alla plancia (the flat grill) and doused in butter (the butter dribbled down my hands and wrists while I ate), calamari also cooked alla plancia and mussels on the half shell served with a dollop of creamy, smooth garlic aioli atop each one. This place is also credited as being the creator of the Bomba - a mashed potato and ham mixture which is made into a ball and fried and served with the aforementioned garlic aioli and a fiery red sauce.

To finish off the meal and revive us from our food induced coma we always have a Pirata. It is a hot coffee drink created by the crew at the Cova Fumada which consists of a slice of lemon, an espresso shot and I think at least two different kinds of liquor (it was a little difficult to keep track at that point of exactly what was going into our drink).



The two gentlemen on the outside are both part of the family that runs the restaurant. The man who is second in on the right is named Peni. We met him last year during our first visit to La Cova Fumada and we were able to reconnect with him this year thanks to the man in the blue shirt and some great pantomiming from Andrea :)



Of course, we had to get a photo with the grandma.

 

We absolutely love this place. To us it feels like real Barcelona and a place we could easily imagine ourselves visiting with strict regularity if we lived in Barcelona. We love it so much that during the last year, after our first visit to La Cova Fumada, we often found ourselves saying that if we could find a cheap enough flight we would go to Barcelona just to have lunch at La Cova Fumada. In fact, it was at the top of our list of things to do when we returned to Barcelona and on our first full day of our vacation we found ourselves there enjoying a nice, leisurely and delicious four hour lunch.

If you find yourself in Barcelona, please pay these guys a visit and ENJOY!