Beth!

Beth arrived Torino last night. She had a crazy itinerary: fly from New Orleans to Rome (~ 13 hours) and then ride a train to Torino (~ 8 hours) in the same day. I told Syd not to worry about missing her at the train station... she'd be the girl with 4 luggages! Apparently she didn't need us worrying anyways as she made a couple of Italian guy friends on the train. :)

A big outing day for us today as we went to Beth and Trevor's apartment, treated to another coffee (by signor Tutucci, again!), had lunch (I finally was able to have a big bowl of salad) in a historical roman area, walked around Torino (Photo: Palazzo Reale - Royal Palace), ate gelato, found a McDonald, and enjoyed a delicious dinner (fresh-made pasta with asparagus and peas, veal carpaccio, swordfish in lemon sauce, and 2 desserts!). We were so silly at dinner without any wine (we ordered it but the waitress seemed to forget - twice). No matter, it turned out with wonderful company, we don't need alcohol to have a great time. Welcome to Torino, Beth!

Jetlag Sucks!

Ok, so not everything is peachy in Torino... so far I have been fighting 2 enemies this week: jetlag and washing machine. Instead of being a tourist (like before) by dragging ourselves to all the museums, palaces, and piazzas, Syd and I decided to rest and let our bodies slowly adjust to Torino time. Wrong decision!!! It has been very difficult to kill this nasty monster. My friend Lily suggested to 'starve' it (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7414437.stm) but it's not working for us! As a matter of fact, I ended up feeling hungry ALL the waking moments. Yesterday I nearly bit Syd to pieces because he won't let me nap (in order to sleep at night). But today, ha, he took a 3 hour nap! Well, he may be getting a little sick too. :( Jetlag sucks!

As regarding the washing machine... well, let's just say that with the jetlag issue, I'm not in a mood to figure things out. The machine washes fine but I just couldn't get it to spin! Since Italian households don't have a dryer, we need to hang the clothes up... after they have span. Therefore a load of clothing has been washed the entire day today because I couldn't get them dry enough! Argh! The stupid machine and I are not speaking the same language.

A Simple Dinner

Congratulations to us! We finished all paperwork (for now) that are required of us in Italy! Yes, Italian bureaucracy is slooooooooow but the officials are friendly (enough) to help us. The trick is to arrive at the offices when they first open in the morning to avoid crowds... we waited 30 minutes at the tax office to obtain 'codice fiscale' (Financial Code which is needed to pay bills, rent a place, apply for a bank account... anything that has to do with $$$). 'Permesso di soggiorno' (Permit to Stay) takes about 2 hours to have someone helping us filling it out, then making copies of this and that, and finally mailing them at a postal office. In addition, we signed the apartment contract and are now also proud owners of Italian cell phone numbers.

We also tried to eat at 'home'. The food in the photo may seem simple but they are NOT! Don't get me started on the sweet sweet cherry tomatoes! They are from Piazza Della Repubblica (which makes our farmer's markets look pathetic) with dozens and dozens of fresh produce and fruit stands. A basket (as pictured) which is enough for us to eat for 3 meals only costs $2!!! What about the Fontina cheese? Well, it's from a local cheese shop and the old lady owner looks like in her 90s. She was so nice to let us try 3 different cheeses and kept trying to tell us something fantastic about them (while all we could do was smile and purchase). Oh, and not to mention the fresh out-the-oven baguette (we went back to the bakery again for some yummy apple strudel). And prosciutto!! Oh prosciutto!! Everything was (is) fresh with excellent quality. A simple dinner yet truly one of the best meals in our lives!

First Invitation

Man, it's such a warm yet exciting feeling to know people and they also know your name in a foreign city!

Syd and I had lunch at a little wine bar (La Botte Gaia) that our Italian Friend Filippo introduced us last November. This bar only has 3 little tables (2 ppl/ table) which are surrounded by 3 walls of wine bottles and a large window that you can see people busy walking by. I met my love, Muscat 2005, here last year. We are in heaven here with great wine at great price (many are less than 15 euros), wonderful home-cook food (ex. anchovies in green sauce), and not to mention the most friendly wine bar owners (not that I know any others). We walked in and timidly asked the lady owner, "Ci ricorda?" (Do you remember us?) She smiled and said, "Si!" We had their specials of the day, crepes with asparagus and risotto with saffron sauce. They were delicious! On our way out, the lady owner asked us how long we are staying in Torino this time. Syd answered, "Un anno.(One year.)" The lady looked confused and asked again, "Un giorno? (One day?)" Then we said again, "No, un anno!" She seemed surprised but then happily said, "A presto!" (See you soon!)

Our Italian friends, Simone and Giorgia, called in the afternoon inviting us to dinner at their apartment. Of course, there is no way we are refusing Italian hospitality! :) Simone and Giorgia both are graduate students majoring in Chinese/ Chinese literature at Torino University. Yes, Italians! In Torino!! Who speak fluent Mandarin!!! They prepared a Rome specialty cuisine, Carbonara (spaghetti with egg & cheese sauce). I had never had eggs with spaghetti before and it was yummy! We then had Speck (smoked ham) with Tomino cheese. The dish was a bit too rich (too much cheese) for me but Syd liked it. We also managed to get difficult topics out the way after dinner. We talked about politics (oops), war with Iraq (Italians call it 'George Bush's War', go figure), abortion, gays and lesbians' rights, and the recipe of Carbonara. Perhaps next time we can discuss the weather of Torino (It has been raining for the past 2 days).

We are here!

Wow, can't believe it is really happening! :)

After weeks of organizing, cleaning, packing, packing, more packing, and finally hauling more than 200 lbs of luggage (Photo1: Syd with luggage in front of our apartment; one backpack wanted to stay in Frankfurt longer so it was delivered next morning instead), Syd and I have come all the way from Silicon Valley (filled with computer and technology) to Torino (filled with chocolate, Barolo wine, and what else, excellent cuisine).

I was finally able to sleep horizontally for 3.5 hours. It is 3am here. It seems like a dream that I'm in Italy... but I look around, it's not our townhouse in Milpitas; I went to the balcony, I'm on the 5th floor and the old building across has attic; I turned on the TV and it's speaking Italian... I MUST be in Italy.

The first Italian we met was our landlord, Signor Tuttucci. He was very friendly and helpful with so much information about Torino. He showed us the lovely apartment (Photo2: outside appearance of the apartment; we are on the highest floor which is just cut off from the photo), the neighborhood, and treated us to coffee (well, Syd had hot chocolate). Signor Tutucci kept apologizing for his English but we were more embarrassed about our poorER Italian. Nevertheless, he seemed to be very happy when Syd and I understood him. While we were having coffee, he asked what are our intentions in Torino. Without hesitation, I answered "Voglio avere una vita il bel far niente". ("I want to have a life of the beauty of doing nothing." What I really meant was 'to learn to do nothing'.) He nodded his head. It's wonderful that Italians understand this concept without needing to explain further. I think I like it. I can't believe I'm really here!