Now I know why Audrey Hepburn loved Italy.
It is everything you see in the movies and more.
From old Italian men smoking a cigarette on their front balcony, to tight groups of people animatedly speaking to one another, to little side streets decorated with flowers and the country's flags, the city of Turin is flooded with rich history and thought.
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views of the plaza from our balcony in Hotel Roma
Americans are all about efficiency; whether it's eating dinner in 5 minutes so we can move on with our days or grabbing a coffee to-go as we run to get to work on time. We can boast that we have our lives coordinated and planned down to the second. But what I've noticed from only one day here, is that the Italians have no desire to be so efficient. Everything is traditional and old fashion. They gladly give up time tables and strict schedules so they can leisurely sit and enjoy an espresso while reading the paper. They put on their best clothes just to take a stroll eating a gelato.
As I struggled to make myself a double shot espresso to wake up this morning (jet lag's a killer), a local woman stopped making her tea and took the time to teach me how to use the entire machine. Using very little words, she demonstrated how to make any coffee drink I desired from a Cappuccino to a double shot Americano (which, I found, is the cure for the grogginess).
I ran into an Italian man at the train station who stopped me and starting speaking in his fluent tongue. When I showed a bewildered face and said, "No speak Italian. English.", he tried his hand at translating to me. He said: "You smile is uhh.. happy! Too many people are frowning much. The day is bella! The day is....beautiful!"
Indeed it is!
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| flying over the Alps |
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| My plane ride's complementary beer and Swiss chocolate welcoming me into Frankfurt, Germany. |
