May 17th
You know Italy is absolutely gorgeous and there is such a charm about it that I absolutely love. Everyone is so laid back and no one let's little things bother them. I feel in the US people need instant gratification and instant service of what ever they want. In Italy it's so different. For example, in the US if a person goes out to eat and they order chicken and the server says "I'm sorry we are out of chicken," the person is more than like going to either be upset or think "how could they possibly not have chicken?" In Italy when they are out of chicken they are just out of chicken. In one of the restaurants we ate the server simply said "sorry we are out of the chicken the butcher didn't kill enough this morning" & it's that simple. The person just ordered something else from the menu with out even thinking twice about it. In a lot of mom and pop restaurants here (the good restaurants) have one set menu for the day with 5 or so different choices. If you don't like what they have you can just leave. A restaurant like that wouldn't work in a big city in the US because people have the mentality of "me, me, me and the world revolves around me." It's such a different society and environment. Of course I'm not talking about everyone in the US, but a great majority of people are like that and thats probably why we are not liked too much by people in other countries.
May 18
We have been in Grottamare, which is on the beach and is a providence of Ascoli Piceno for the past two days. It's been wonderful. On our bus ride from Rome to here we probably saw some of the most beautiful landscapes in all our trip. We saw mountains with snow tops, waterfalls, hills, valleys, rivers and we finally arrived to the gorgeous sea. Anthony's family lives on a mountain right off the beach and it's absolutely stunning. It's crazy because 1. I didn't know his family lived on the beach, 2. I didn't know I would even get too see the beach on this trip, 3. I have never had the beach to one side of me and the mountains to the other (mountains with snow tops too) and 4. I have never seen such gorgeous landscapes in my life. It's stunning and breathe taking and I may just have found the place I will be retiring lol. Ant's family is amazing too. They are so sweet and are taking care of us as if we were there children, but they speak very little English and it's hard for Ant to communicate. I communicate well because I speak a little bit of Italian and for the words I don't know I use Spanish and Rosanna understands me just fine. I have been Anthony's translator, but it's a little frustrating because I'm putting all the effort while he just tells me what to say. So I gave him an Italian to English dictionary so he can figure it out on his own unless he really needs the help because he was being lazy. I mean I feel awful because we are in their country and they are trying to accommodate us by speaking English when we should be the ones always trying to speak Italian. Rosanna told Anthony that he needs to learn either Spanish or Italian so they can communicate. It would also be good because she was an Italian history teacher for 30+ years and as you all may know Ant knows so much about history. They would have great conversations together.
Rossana is awesome and her husband Evandro is so funny, but very stuck in his ways. He speaks English and is able to communicate with Anthony and I well, but when he doesn't understand what we are saying he says we are speaking American slang. Both Rosanna and Evandro are retired. Evandro has an awesome back yard and he has a big garden of different trees. He has pears, cherries, lemons, bananas, figs, plum, orange, bitter orange, two 40 year old olive trees and some other exotic fruit. I'm kind of jealous of his garden, not gonna lie. It's awesome
E to lick the fruit of the tree and eat right there and then and know that there are no pesticides on them. He has these mini oranges that you eat the whole fruit even the skin...his lemons are the same way. You can eat the lemon with the skin and it's actually good and it doesn't burn your lips.
Anyway the first night we were here Rosanna made a magnificent dinner for us and well it hasn't stopped. I will definitely be gaining all the weight I lost in the last two weeks. Here in Italy they eat a lot! They have antipasti, which is the appetizer (cheese, salami, bread etc.) then primi plati, the first plate (pastas or starch), then secondi plati, second plate (the meats or whatever) & of course dessert. They don't stop feeding you and it all taste so darn good. She made this delicious chicken that I plan on making at home. Basically it's chicken sliced really thin, like deli meat, and she makes this sauce that goes over it. The sauce consist of olive oil (made at home), with lemon juice and basil. That simple, but so good. Then she cuts up fresh tomatoes and puts it all around the dish and that's it. It's serve chilled and it's so good I can't even explain to you how good it is. I'm excited for the dinner to come.
On the first night we also met Rosanna's and Evandro's son Giulio who speaks Italian, English and Spanish & he speaks them very well. Giulio is a psycho-therapist, very intelligent, and I think he has a degree equivalent to a US doctorate. He is great and he speaks to Anthony a lot since he knows English. Giulio has taken us around town and on the first night took us out to a very fancy, rich people bar. To go to this bar you had to have reservations and Giulio's friend invited him and well we went. They were playing Italian music, like a typical club, and some English and Spanish music too. The beach line is very similar to Miami except it's really low key, more beautiful, but filled with rich people who wear suits and top of the line dresses. I felt really uncomfortable because everyone was wearing very fancy things, all skin tight and skimpy dresses and I walked in wearing a flower full summer dress. I got some strange looks and I felt so awkward, but it was worth the experience. It was candle lit with wine and amazing top notch food, best part was we didn't pay a penny because Giulio's friend picked up the tab :).
Yesterday we took a tour of the center of the city, thanks to wonderful Giulio and for a small city it's very nice. The center is basically like an outdoor mall with many restaurants and gelato places. There is a long beach walk way and people have done art work on the rocks along the coast line. Some of the rocks were designed as chairs and you can sit there and watch the ocean. The whole place is gorgeous. I am constantly reminding myself that I'm not in Miami or in the Caribbean, but in Italy. I just never thought Italy would look like this...it's amazing. All of you would love it here and would probably want to come here every summer as I do. I cant believe i have never been here....i have been missing out. Italy is just a beautiful country over all, there is something to do for everyone. It's definitely my top favorite place I have ever visited beside Costa Rica.
May 19th
Today we went to Ascoli Piceno to learn about Anthony's family. We saw his great-great-grandfather/mother's grave and as well as all the Carboni tombs. Anthony was able to see the grave of his great uncle (he was named after him); it was a really great experience. It's crazy to see the years they were born and how long they lived. His great-great grandmother and father were born around 1860's. Personally, I was happy for Anthony and grateful for this experience. He is so fortunate to have the ability to know his ancestry and find relative so far back because I'm not able to do the same with my family. Our children will appreciate knowing so much about how their last name derived and who were the carriers of the Carboni last name. While in Ascoli we also drove by the house that his great-great's used to live in. It's still owned by family, but it's a distant cousin and she has turned the house into a bed & breakfast. The house looks very old and so does everything surrounding it. Rosanna took us to the piazza popolo where all the Carboni's kids would run around after school and the local coffee shop that the great great's would sit and watch the children. Ascoli Piceno is a very small town, but it's very popular and touristic because it's one of the oldest city that belonged to the Roman Empire. It's the city where the Romans used to take the most beautiful woman from so they could take them back to Rome. By taking these beautiful women the Romans felt they would create beautiful children. It's crazy! There is so much history in Italy- it's incredible.
May 21
Yesterday was a great day, I have a lot to say about it. In the morning Rosanna took me to the San Benedetto mercato, basically a huge outdoor flea market. When I say huge I'm talking about 1.5 miles worth of mercato runs along the main strip of the city. It's crazy! The mercato isn't like the typical flea market back home where they all sell junk. This mercatto was filled with good bargains; like name brand clothes, Italian wine, Italian paintings, Italian leather jackets, purses, shoes....basically all the good stuff. There were some people selling junk, but it was obvious it was junk. Rosanna is super sweet and I needed a bathing suit (we plan on going to the beach today) so I found a place selling cheap name brand bathing suits so she bought me one. I didn't want her too, but she insisted. Then we found real leather purses and she bought me one as well. It was very nice of her because I feel like letting us stay in her house is a big enough gift. Rosanna speaks no English, but we are able to easily communicate because I speak Spanish and a little Italian. We have conversations and I think she enjoys having a girl to hang out with. Going to the mercato with her was very fun. Today she is taking us to an italian jewelry place that her friends own so I can buy myself an Italian silver bracelet.
After the mercato we came home to meet Alessandro, Rosanna's sisters son. For the past day we knew he was coming to hang out with us, but we didn't realize he was going to take us out. He took us to this place called San Marino. San Marino is a country in Italy similar to the Vatican city. It's a country within a country with it's own laws, money, police, basically everything. San Marino is really interesting and the place looks like it belongs in a medieval era. There are two palace facing each other, but in order to get to this area you have to take a lift to the top. The view from the top is amazing and there are tons of little shops as well. We were able to go inside the castle and go in to the highest tower which gave us even better views than we already had. It was incredible!
Alessandro was a great host. He took us around everything and he would not let us pay for anything, the whole trip was free and a complete surprise. He was very funny and absolutely pleasant to be around. All of Anthony's family has been amazing. They have taken care of us more than I ever thought possible.
One thing I've been meaning to tell you guys is here in Italy people are shocked to hear Anthony and I are married at the age of 25. They feel we are very young to be married. For example, Giulio is 31 and not married, his brother is 36 and not married and Alessandro who is 47 has been dating his wife for 10 years and only been married 5 years. We were explaining to them that in the US it's very typical for people to get married around 21-32 and if they aren't married by then it's unusual. They think we are crazy, but I think it's crazy that Anthony's dad is 47 with a 25 year old son and Alessandro is 47 with no kids and he doesn't even know if he wants kids. Its very common for people to date for years on out, but not to get married. Alessandro's wife dated a man for 17 years before they decided to get married, but decided not to go through with it at the end. There are a lot of older single people here in Italy, apparently it's a trend. A trend that people Rosanna's age aren't very excited about it because that means no grandchildren for them. I mean I think it's great if it works for them, but I can't imagine a life without my best friend. Regardless of bad times, I love him and wouldn't trade it for the world.
Today we also met Rosanna's sister Lilianna and she was a complete sweetheart. They were both trying to figure out how they were related to Anthony and I had to draw out the family tree. Basically they are cousins of Anthony's grandfather so they are Anthony's 3rd cousins. Ahhh lol. It's been so great meeting all the family, but kind of funny because they all think I'm the relative, not Anthony. It's also great that I'm able to communicate with them and I think because I try so hard to talk to them and understand them they have grown a particular liking to me. They all think Anthony is so handsome and how he looks like a Carboni. Anthony and I are so pleased with this last part of our trip. They are incredible and we have learned so much about the Carboni's and built relationships that will last a life time. Hopefully we can come back next year.
May 22
It's 1004 in the morning and it's basically our last day here. We leave tomorrow to London and then on Tuesday head back home. I have mixed feelings about going home. Of course, I want to go home....I can't wait to see Chicago because I miss cuddling with my baby, I can't wait to get back in the routine of things like the gym, eating healthy, seeing my friends, seeing my bible study group, going to church every Sunday, using my phone as I please....you know all the normal things I do on a regular basis. But I'm also sad to leave this behind and not see Rosanna and Evandro and nono every morning and the beautiful things we have seen in Europe. I'm very happy at the fact that we have so much to head back too as well. Next weekend Nick and Lyndsay say their "I do's!" I love weddings, but this one is special because we are both in the wedding and we get to witness two of our best friends share their vows to each other. I'm thrilled for them because marriage is a great thing when you find your best friend as well as your life partner.
Anyway, yesterday Anthony and I went to the beach! We had do much fun and we got some good color on our skins. It was crazy to think we were laying on the sand at the beach in Italy. In case you haven't noticed we have a hard time realizing a lot of the things we have been doing on this trip. We have to continuously pinch ourselves. :) Evandro let us use his bicycles to get into town like that we didn't have to bother anyone to come pick us up. So they live on a mountain and to get to the bottom there are lots of curvy steep roads. As many of you may know I'm not the greatest on a bicycle and I was freaking out at the thought of going down these roads really fast with cars going down too. But once I got the hang of it, it was so much fun. We were going down so fast without having to pedal it was amazing feeling. We rode for a few kilometers and then laid out on the beach. The water was so cold, but so nice. The water is really shallow too. You can walk like 50-60 yards before the water even touches your knees and there aren't many waves. There are tons and tons of sail boats and people fishing out in the sea, the view with all the boats is spectacular! On the way back the ride up the mountain wasn't as pleasant. It was so steep we couldn't even ride our bikes up. We were pushing and all of a sudden I fell. It was pretty embarrassing because there were a bunch of cars coming down the street so all I did was lay down and laugh. It was the most stupid way to fall too...my foot got stuck between the curb and the bike and I lost my balance. It was priceless and Anthony was like "seriously babe? You're so clumsy" haha.
So remember how I told you they had gelato in Florence that was delicious? Well here in Grottammare it's incredible. I had Ferrero Rocher gelato and holy cow it was so dang good.I also found out that Ferrero Rocher makes nutella and it just makes sense that I would love both of them so much. I have honestly gained so much weight in the last few days. They feed us so much food it's ridiculous. Even when you are full they don't stop. The first couple of times we would eat a lot on the first plate of food they would put out and start getting full...and then they bring out another plate of food. And it all taste delicious so it's hard to not eat it. Oh and don't forget about dessert after every single meal! Good grief lol. There are two important words or saying when eating in Italian; molto buono=very good & pieno=full. As long as you know those then you can compliment the food, but also say I'm done!
I need to do a cleansing diet when I get back to the states or something because if I don't fit into my brides maid dress we may have a problem :). Can't wait to hit the gym with Sam so I can get back in shape and turn this fat to muscle....hopefully lol.
May 22
I have been thinking about my little Chicago a lot today! I miss him so so much. I love that dog as if it were my real child. I just love him more than you could ever imagine. It's so funny because Anthony is the one that takes him out (a lot more than I ever do) and he feeds chi too, but chi always comes to me at night to cuddle. Ant gets so aggravated because he will grab chi and cuddle with him, but after 5 minutes chi comes cuddles with me without even asking him. He just lives his momma. I baby him a lot and when ever I come home I always carry him or play with him and he loves it. I could never think of loving a dog as much as I love him. I still think of Marlee a lot. I miss her, but I know she is in a home a lot better and bigger for her. I'm definitely ready to see my sweet love. Tomorrow is his 2nd birthday and I'm just sad that we are missing it. I am so thankful for Lynds & Nick who are going to be taking him for a 5 piece chicken nuggets :) he is so spoiled, but he is just such a good puppy. Thinking of how much I miss him makes me sad, but I'm very excited to see his sweet little face soon.
May 23
Woke up this morning and started packing all of our stuff. I'm glad we packed light because with the little stuff we bought our bags are pretty full. Im ready to be home and wear other clothes than the 6 shirts, 2 shorts and jeans I brought with me. I feel like I have been wearing the same pants and shorts over and over again. For lunch today Rosanna made our favorite meal, she is so sweet. This morning she took us to the store to buy last minute stuff we wanted to buy. She also bought Anthony an Italian made key chain which is really nice and she bought me a pair of earring with little pearls. Both were more than we would care for her to spend, but she insisted. We surprised her and Evandro with lemon-cello which Rosanna absolutely loves. They have been so amazing and Rosanna has treated us as if we were her children. They haven't let us pay for one single thing the whole time we have been here. Both Rosanna and Evandro and Bob and Anna were amazing people and I'm so glad we got to meet them. They took care of us as if we had known them for years and never once expected anything in return. Anthony and I have felt so welcomed and they have made us feel at home at all times. I'm really sad that we are leaving, but I know we will return. The best part is next time we will know what to expect and next time we can bring Evandro some peanut butter that he loves :).
I can't believe that this is the last day of our trip...it's a little crazy that we have been gone for 3 weeks. I feel like it was a week ago we left but when I think of us being in London or in Amsterdam it makes I feel like it happened a year ago not 2weeks ago.
It's 254 pm here in Italy. Our bags are packed and we leave for the bus station in about 15 minutes. I'm sad to leave, but God know how ready I am to sleep on my own bed and eat healthy again!!! Don't take me wrong I love the food and most of it is really organic, but it's so much carbs that our body isn't used to all the carbs. Oh well, it's been good :)
I hope you all have enjoyed me journaling. I really don't know who all really reads it...maybe it's just 1 or 2 people but it's been fun sharing my thoughts and talking about what we did on a daily basis. I was doing a lot of it in the beginning but the more time went by the less I wrote so I apologize for that. I'm sorry I couldn't update all the time either. It was hard because I didn't have wifi on my phone. There were times when I had journaled but couldn't put it on line because I couldn't get Internet on my phone.
We are at the train station headed to Pescara where we will take our plane to London. Hopefully we can leave London since there has been a volcano eruption in Ireland and a lot of planes are stuck there....hopefully that's not the case for our flight cause we have a lot to do ASAP!
May 24
We are headed to Heathrow airport and getting ready for our 10 hour flight to Chicago. I'm so ready to be home and lay in our bed with Chi. The worst part about traveling is the waiting game at the airports. It's so exhausting! Can't believe our trip is over and can't believe I journaled so much. Thanks for following us through this journey!!!!
Favorite places in order of preference:
Paris, France
Bath, England (includes stone henge)
Florence, Italy
San Marino, San Marino
Rome, Italy
San Benedetto del Toronto & Grottammare, Italy
Amsterdam, Holland
London, England
Ascoli Piceno, Italy
Brussels, Belgium
Faversham, England
Pisa, Italy
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