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.

Italian Class

Sooooo, you may be wondering why FOOD is the only item on my blog? Well, several reasons for why we stayed indoor most of the time: 1) fighting off jetlag, 2) getting things in order with Italian bureaucracy, and 3) it has been raining for the past 2 weeks (very unusual this time of the year), thus we can only eat, eat, and eat. But don't worry, we will start reporting the city of Torino to you, when weather permitting and we are well-fed and sober.

My beginner Italian class started this Monday. The language school is 15 minutes by foot from our apartment. There are 3 ladies managing the school: Rosaria (handling administration and teaching Italian), Laura (teaching culture/ history/ architecture), and Caterina (teaching Italian - my teacher!). It's really a family business since Rosaria and Caterina are sisters while Laura is their sister-in-law. Syd and I met them last November when we were checking out Torino and we liked their teaching method and personalities. I had a lot of fun learning Italian with Caterina and my classmates this week. Syd'll joining us next week.

Two significant structures stand out on the way to school: 'Arsenale Militare' and 'Atrium'. The building of Arsenale Militare is obviously very different from other modern architecture. Military officers (in khaki or green uniform) come in and out of the building every time I pass by. You can read more about it by enlarging the photo of the sign. In Torino, every historical architecture (including Trevor and Beth's medieval apartment) has a sign explaining its significance.















The other significant building is the 'Atrium' which consisted the main tourist information center. The Atrium was built specifically for 2006 Winter Olympic but its modern exterior caused controversy. Many Turinese feel it ruins the atmosphere of the old Piazza Solferino (where my school is at) and thus demanded for its removal. The tourist information center is no longer there since last November and I hear the Atrium will be taken down shortly.














Let me end this long blog with a photo of my Italian class. Caterina is the teacher who's next to me. She's originally from Sicily and she lives in Torino with her husband and child. Kim is on my other side who's studying in a renowned automobile design school in Torino. Daniella (next to Caterina) is from Germany. She came to Torino with/ for her boyfriend (Torinese). You know what love does to people! Helen's British and she's taking a week of vacation just to learn Italian here! And yes, we have a sister in the house! Sister Stefana is Korean who's working with the Italian community here. I think she has the most difficult time because she doesn't speak either Italian or English but I'm sure lord will help her in some way. Shawn and Federica are the youngest in class and they are Americans. Shawn is a student in fashion design while Federica's still in high school (Mamma mia! I feel old!)!