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.