On March 4th, I took a trip up to Vicenza to visit my relatives! The timing was perfect as I was just complaining about being homesick. My train took me from Rome to Padova and was about three hours long. Literally got on the train with three minutes to spare. The buses may not stick to the schedule but the trains are a different story. The ride was very relaxing and I was lucky and got a window seat! Uncle David met me on the platform which was a nice surprise. I thought I’d have to go on some long journey to find him through a sea of people. To add to my excitement, Aunt Patti and Gehrig came to pick me up as well!
The apartment where they’re staying is so nice and a lot bigger on the inside. I even had my own bedroom and bathroom. Staying with them that weekend felt like home. Aunt Patti was always telling herself “What would Maria (Mom) do?” Which became “Let’s feed this twig before she snaps!” I swear, I ate so much food it hurt. Not that I can complain. Everything was delicious! On Friday night we met up with Susan, a friend of my Uncle’s, and went out to a self-service trattoria which is a type of small, “home-style” restaurant. Keep in mind that before going out to dinner, they fed me a small pizza and smoked salmon. I ordered gnocchi con maiale (pork) which was delicious but I was stuffed. Even so, Aunt Patti fed me a quarter of Gehrig’s chicken and a mound of potatoes and to top it all off I got a baked apple for dessert. I was so full by the end of the night! But I didn’t learn my lesson.
Saturday started off very slow. I got up early and curled up with a nice bowl of Special K (really miss this stuff). Unfortunately the weather wasn’t at its best, cold and rainy. But we still made the most of it. We walked around one of the piazzas to find something for lunch. Afterwards we went to the Jefferson-Palladio Museum. It was a very small exhibit but well worth the visit. Palladio was an Italian architect who was heavily influenced by Greek and Roman architecture. The museum gave an overview of Palladio’s life and his work as well as his influence on Thomas Jefferson. I’m surprised Palladio never came up in my Art History studies as it was his designs that inspired buildings such as the Monticello and the White House. Later that evening, Kiara, Aunt Patti’s tennis friend, invited us all for a traditional Italian meal. Prior to dinner, I ate a whole plate of spaghetti di frutti di mare (seafood) so I knew my stomach was gonna have a repeat of last night. She started by serving tortellini in brodo (broth). Next came the roasted vegetables, french fries, and the main coarse, veal with mashed potatoes. There was so much food but I couldn’t stop eating. Everything was too good to turn down. Then there was a post appetizer of grapes and cheese. Last was the three layer chocolate cake and how could I possibly say no to that! My weakness is food. It is physically impossible for me to refuse whether I like it or not, I will always say yes.
Sunday I left for Rome and got back to the convent at around 6:30 at night. While I didn’t want to leave it was for the best. The following Monday marked the beginning of exam week. I probably didn’t choose the best time to travel because I didn’t study as much as I would have liked. Exam week was brutal for me since it was the first test in all of my classes, save for Italian, so I didn’t know what to expect. But all I can say is I did my best and I feel confident that I delivered. I’m just glad they’re out of the way. Now there’s only a few days between me and spring break! My train leaves early Saturday morning for Vicenza where I get to spend a whole week with my Aunt, Uncle, and little Gehrig! Our plans are up in the air at the moment but I expect we’ll have some interesting adventures. This week cannot be going any slower!