Xmas in Torino 4

Xmas in Torino 3

Buon Natale!

We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merrry Christmmas,
We wish you a Merrrry Christmmmmmas...
and a Happy New Year!

Just imagine us wearing bikini (Syd) and swimming trunks (Lily) instead! :)

X'mas in Torino 2

At our favorite French bakery. :)
We already ate 2 Christmas cakes from below (chocolate and pear). We bought another one this Sunday. :p

From Ciao to Hola!

Syd and I went to Barcelona last weekend on extremely cheap airfare. I guess not many people (including Europeans) are traveling in Europe during winter so airlines have to have promotions to attract customers. We have been thinking to visit Barcelona for a while so when Syd found a round-trip airfare for 2 ppl for total of 4 euros (yes, you read it correctly, FOUR euros!!), you betcha we are going to take it! We ended up paying 40 euros since we are not European citizens but hey, it was still a great deal.

Sera, our friend who studies wine-making flew in from Bordeaux and we met at the hotel on Saturday night. We decided not to waste a moment so we went to have tapas at 11pm (Spaniards' lunch hour starts from 2pm while dinner is from 9pm). Of course I had to have Sangria! :) We didn't end up sleeping until 3am: too full and too much talking.

So after eating, drinking, and talking, what do you do next? Dancing, of course! I saw my very first Flamenco! Live! in Barcelona (the next night)! The performers were amazing. Although I couldn't understand the lyrics they sang, the passion was communicated through their music and dances. Especially for the duet dance, you can really feel the emotions of love and hate between the two dancers. Powerful beats and movements! Brava!

If you think the night is finished, oh no, you are so wrong! We still need to have dinner so we decided to try 'pinchos'. They are similiar to tapas but tapa orders come on plates while pinchos come on sticks. You pay per stick and each pincho costs between 1 - 3 euros. While Syd and I were busy eating pinchos, Sera was busy making friends with some Spaniards in the bar. We were having a lot fun together though none of us speak each other's language. But it doesn't matter, when everyone is having a good time, body language and smiley faces are good communicators. A young Spanish woman taught me how to pour a drink properly. The entire bar ended up watching and laughing with/ at us. It was a heck of good time.

After partying some, we were finally ready to admire Gaudi's incredible architecture. My favorite is the Sagrada Familia. Gaudi began building it in 1882 but it didn't get finished before he died in a car accident in 1926. The Spanish government has continued building it and it is estimated to be completed in 2026 (another 18 years!!) It is so amazing in details, bold designs and symbolisms. You really have to see it to believe that someone could create a church this way.

Photo on Left: Inside of the Sagrada Familia.

Photo on Right: Lily, Sera, and Syd on top of the Church. It was definitely worth the elevator ride.

Welcome to Torino, Davenports!

Syd's sister, Christine, and her family visited us for Thanksgiving. We were very happy to see them since we don't get to spend time with them except during the holidays. This was a great opportunity for us to catch up and perhaps, understand a little more what do girls (Morgan is 13 years old while Sydney is 11) like these days.

No time to lose! We started off with Torino 2-day pass the next day after their arrival. We went to Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Madama, Mole Cinema Museum (Morgan & Sydney's favorite), Egyptian Museum, and Superga (church and royal tomb).

Photo on Left: Mole at Night!

Chris, Morgan, Sydney, and Syd on top of the Mole. It was a beautiful and clear day that you can see the entire city of Torino.
















I was relieved that they were somewhat prepared for the cold weather. My mother would *hate* it. :p We were actually blessed with sunny clear sky... only 1 day of snow. We took advantage of the good weather and visited towns outside Torino: saw a parade in Sant'Ambrogio, explored narrow streets in Genova (also ate best focaccia and pesto), hiked in Bardonecchia, and of course, went wine tasting and had one of the best Italian cuisines (with incredibly reasonable pricing) in La Morra.

But the best of all was the soccer game (Torino Toro vs. AC Milan) with our Italian friends, Filippo and Alberto. What could be more fun than watching a soccer game with Italian soccer fans? We had apertivo at a sports bar first and then took a bus to the Olympic Stadium (where the 2006 Winter Olympic opening/ closing ceremonies were hosted). Boy, was it freezing (I couldn't feel my tush)! But what fun (not cuz I couldn't feel my tush) !















Well, time flies fast... When I first met Morgan and Sydney, they were 6 and 4 respectively. Look how much they've grown. It was cool listening and talking to them to know them better... I don't know if they liked the trip but at least they'd remember cute waiters at the pizzeria. :p

Group picture at Morgan's favorite pizzeria...


PS. Oh, and the girls want to eat Chinese food the first thing they return home. Alright, we have something in common here! :)

X'mas in Torino I

Italian humor. :) Photo was taken one block from our apartment.

Happy *White* Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! :)

First snow in Torino... avg temperature: 5C during the day and -3C at night.

Photo on Left: Balcony view

Photo on Right: Piazza San Carlo

偷得浮生半日閒

Dear Mama

My mother stayed with us for a month in Torino last month. Now you have to know something about her... she's not a traveler. She has only traveled in 3 countries before coming to Torino: Taiwan, US, and China. So it was her first trip to Italy, to the entire Europe! Not only that, she came here alone, by herself. Yes, she was worried about locating the connecting flight and then finding us. But she did it (thanks to Antonia's help)! We were smiling at her when she came out from the Arrival Gate in Milan airport.

My mother's idea of 'having fun' in Torino is eating (she loves pizza and cheese), walking around the city, shopping (both in purchasing fresh food and clothes), and cooking. She loves Porta Palazzo, the biggest farmers' market in Europe. We went there at least twice a week and bought fresh produce, meats, and fresh & clean tripe/ intestine/ liver. For those of you don't eat the latter, just know that it is very difficult to CLEAN them! Anyways, my mother said that she hasn't had such good dishes for a very long time. As for walking, man, we practically walked all over Torino. Our daily exercising time is about 3 - 4 hours. I don't think I walked that much for the 6 months I've lived in Torino.

We also went to quite a few little towns around Torino (within 2 hours of train ride). I will just post some photos instead of writing a super-long blog entry. So my mom's favorites? Of course pizza and cheese! :) Her least favorite? Well, too many smokers on the streets. :(

Photo on Left: Santuario d'Oropa with Simone. Simone drove us from Biella to this sanctuary and later to his home town nearby for a festival. My mom was excited to talk to Simone in Mandarin.

Photo on Right: Simone's parents and Filippo's parents. Simone's parents were so kind to invite us to dinner in their house in Ubertino. My mom said this was the best experience she had traveling.

Grazie mille, la famiglia di Ubertino Rosso!














Photo on Left: Alba Truffle Festival! But I heard that with the bad economy this year, the price of the truffle has dropped 80%. Look how proudly the dog did on the sofa, haha, j/k.

Photo on Right: Yummy spaghetti with truffle (it tasted salty and light).














Photo on Left: Piazza San Carlo at night

Photo on Right: City Hall Market














Photo on Left: A friendly signora kitting with her doggie. She kept telling her dog to look at the camera.

Photo on Right: The only Roman gate left in Torino














Photo on Left: Hiking in Bardonecchia with beautiful autumn leaves

Photo on Right: The famous Duomo in Milan

Here We are Making Cheese... Well, Maybe Not!

Last weekend we went to another small town, Aosta, which is 2 hours train ride from Torino. Syd read it from a travel guide that a farm house (agriturismo) near Aosta (30 min drive all the way up in the mountains) can provide room & board, and also teach us how to make goat cheese. Well, knowing Syd's a cheese lover (he has also converted my mother and me into cheese), we had long planned for this adventure.


Oh, boy, was it cold (~ 8C)!! Aosta is located north of Torino which is close to the border of France and Switzerland (St. Bernard). I'll leave you to imagine the temperature in the mountains at night. And yes, there was snow in the mountains.

The valley of Aosta is breath-taking. The view was worth the trip to come to Aosta. The farm house we stayed at is managed by a family. The grandparents take care of the guest rooms and the cooking (we had a typical Aosta-style dinner while breakfast was already included). The daughter-in-law handles the goats, milks them, and makes cheese while the son takes the home-made products (cheese, salami, soap, etc.) to markets. They also have a bunch of chickens and geese, 3 pigs, 3 dogs, and 2 cats. As a city girl who had never been with so many animals at once, it was exciting. I got to pat some of them (not chickens and geese cuz they were too fiesty) and to eat some others (sorry :( ).

Photo on Left: The farm house

Photo on Right: One of the specialities of Aosta - can you guess what it is? It tasted great with warm chestnuts and honey on rye bread. But many of you probably won't eat it (we won't either for a long time). Answer is at the end of this entry.















Well, so the next morning we were supposed to make goat cheese but... goats are not making enough milk at this time of season. During summer, they are usually milked every 12 hours. Bummer. Oh well, we still checked out their living quarters (eew, too many flies), milking machines, and cheese-making rooms. Man, it was the only time I feel being a male is not a privilege. The male goat was separated in a small cell from other goats who can run around in a huge field... I guess since the sole job for the male goat is to 'have fun', he only gets to do that once in a while (fall).

We also found out that I was the 3rd Asian (the other two were Japanese and Singaporean) who ever visited the farm house in this remote village in the mountains for the past 22 years. I guess we Asians just don't go to cold mountains too often.
















Answer to the mysterious dish: lard.

Our Little Friend

I just realized that I haven't introduced our little friend to you guys yet... we met her during the first few weeks after arriving in Torino. She has a cool name, Asia (pronounced ah-si-ah), and she lives next door. We became close after babysitting her a few times. Asia now comes to visit us at least once a week. Tonight she came over again (through the balcony) so I was able to take photos.















I don't get along with cats because they bit me and spooked me with scary shining eyes when I was a child. So I never thought this kitty would like me since she should be able to sense the unfriendliness from me. It was a surprise when Asia chose to sit in my lap (no kitty has ever done that before!) instead of Syd's (and he's a kitty boy). Asia is the first kitty that I have ever enjoyed to play with! I'm learning to be a friend to a kitty in Torino.

The World is Changing!

The World is Changing!

The challenges in US for Mr. Obama are difficult: the worst economy in a century with a huge national debt, 2 wars, a poorly constructed health system, and an energy crisis. Let's give Mr. Obama time and help him to lead us to better days. The world is changing but it can't change in a day!

Birthday Present - Lake Como Trip

After dinner party on 9/26, everyone coincidentally took a trip: Antonia & Toby returned to SF, Trevor & Beth flew to Bulgaria, while Doug, Jen, Syd, & I went to Lake Como to have a drink with Georgie (Clooney) for my birthday weekend! :p Then Doug and Jen continued on their romantic Italian trip to Venice and Cinque Terre.

Guess where we stayed in Lake Como? The view was out of this world!














Ha, now we can say we have stayed in the REAL Bellagio (not the one in Las Vegas). Back in early September when we decided to come, I was looking forward to swim in the lake. However, it was no way I'd jump into the freezing lake when we arrived. :( Man, this year in Italy is just not my swimming year... I only swam twice: in Spotorno (Liguria coast) and in Cinque Terre.

Lake Como was beautiful and peaceful. We took ferries traveling from one town to another in leisure. All of us agreed that Varenna is the prettiest town due to its unique walkway along the water and colorful buildings. Oh, and we also found a geocache (www.geocaching.com) there!

The best birthday gift for me this year was relaxing and having fresh and yummy lake fishes for dinner!

Photo on Left: Group Picture at the Northern End of Bellagio

Photo on Right: Fanny Bridge














So what did I do on my birthday? Well, I didn't want to become a human popsicle in the water and my companions are hikers... so I was 'forced' to hike to a church way way way up on a mountain to celebrate my turning of 25. :p (Yes, that IS the church we were going for!)

See how happy Syd was showing me the way to the church.














After about 1 hour of zig-zag hiking straight up, we finally reached the church. I was the last one getting there, of course (hey, Doug and Jen are Ironpeople while Syd hikes for a living). I still couldn't believe I hiked (instead of swimming or karaoking or dancing or drinking... well, I drank some but that's another story) on my birthday!


Photo on Left: Look at the View Behind Us atop of the Mountain: See that Castle?

Photo on Right: A Bigger Photo of the Castle