This is my belated Valentine's wish to everyone: Get some fresh air.
This year's Valentine's Day was special, not only because I was in the U.K., but also because I spent the day at Windsor Castle. It's only a 1-hour train ride from Waterloo station in London to Windsor/Eton. Eton is a little town walking distance from Windsor where the wealthy send their children to school. The Princes attend school at Eton. The boys' uniform consists of a white button down shirt, black suit jacket with tails, white tie, white gloves, etc... you get the picture.
No pictures of the school boys, however, here are a few pictures of us at Windsor Castle.
Two of my Milanese coworkers, Ronny and Luca, took me to Piazza del Popolo (Square of the People) to have pizza at a local chain called PizzaRe. After dinner, I suggested a little walk to Piazza di Spagna since it was within walking distance.
How beautiful it was at night! The Spanish Steps was empty, the fountain in front was clean, and there were no tourists. However, just as we noticed how there were no tourists, we saw a large group approaching the square. That's when we decided to find some gelati in a gelateria.
Afterwards, we drove by Piazza Venezia and the Colosseo. This was not my first time to see all this. However, it was my first time feeling the magic of Rome at night.
I am the luckiest girl the entire world!
[ London ]
I saw "Lost in Translation" this past weekend in London. I felt a strange connection with the movie because, in Italy, I too have not been able to sleep well. Atleast one night a week, I'll find myself with just 2 or 3 hours of sleep. It's not good when you have to work the next morning.
We also went to watch "Giselle", the ballet currently showing at the National Opera House in London. We got the cheapest seats, 7 pounds, and were literally at the top. It was a lovely production, even though our seats only allowed 70% visibility of the stage. Our view in the Royal Opera House
I've noticed one thing that is wonderfully different from the States. In London, ice cream is sold during intermission at shows (musicals, ballets, operas) and at the movie theatre... and it's the most popular item next to alcohol. For 2 or 3 pounds you can find yourself enjoying a tiny tub of ice cream.
It snowed in London for a day (2 inches!) during the week of January 26th. Unfortnately, I was Rome, so I only heard about it.
[ Italy ]
I fell my Italian slowly getting better. Dinner every night typically consists of one to two hours of pure Italian. Mostly, I just listen to my Milanese coworkers. I'm glad they are very patient with me. I've had a few slip-ups... pronouncing a word incorrectly, and it turning out to be a bad word!
Dinner is usually around 9. Most of the time, we drive into downtown Rome (about 30 minutes) to a restaurant someone likes and eat until 11-ish, sometimes later. Initially, we ate the typical Italian dinner, which consists of atleast 2 dishes, wine, dessert, cafe, and grappa. Now, I only order a main dish (either a pasta or fish) and maybe a vegetable, then skip the rest. We split the bill at the end, and it's typically about 22 euros.
It's 5:31 AM in Rome. I hope to get a little nap in before breakfast.
Ciao tutti!