MOM AND DAD!

It has been a crazy week of traveling, adventuring, trying to finally recover from an awful cold and soaking up every minute with my parents. The weather is gorgeous here, and I couldn't be more blessed! 

Something I learned about myself:

There are few people I love spending time with more than my parents. For those of you that know me (and for my boyfriend in Russia, you will eventually have to meet my parents anyways ssoooooo. . .) you know that I love my parents. They are truly two of the best people that I know, so having them here in this city that I have grown to love so much has been such a blessing. Every time I bring them to a new part of the city, or when I physically share with them something that has been so special to me in my time here in Rome, I can’t help but think that a girl can’t get much luckier. Although it is taking some getting used to on their part to do things like cross the street at any moment even if a bus is coming at you going 40 miles an hour and eat after 5 p.m., I am so blessed to be integrating my two worlds.

So happy. So, so happy!

                                  Dad has been very brave and told one of our restaurant owners to 'surprise him'!                           

The Best Thing That I Ate:

Pesto! Yyuummmm. Being in Italy, you eat a lot of pasta. I mean, A LOT of pasta. So it is easy to get sick of eating the same thing. But, when my parents and I were travelling around Italy this weekend, we noticed that there was a lot of homemade fresh pesto in the stores that we saw. Seeing all of this delicious pesto made my decision of what to eat at lunch a whole lot easier. We ate at the most precious restaurant in Riomaggiore (the first of the five Cinque Terre towns) overlooking the Italian coast and I had the most delicious plate of fresh pesto pasta. I have loved seeing my parents reactions to all new Italian foods and experiences, it is really reminding me to not take any of it for granted. It was also green which fit in perfectly with it being St. Patrick’s Day!

Clearly it was delicious.                              

An Adventure I Went On:

Cinque Terre! This was one of the top places that I wanted to visit while I was here in Rome but I was starting to wonder when it would happen. Luckily, I have the most supportive parents in the world, and they were great sports about doing whatever while they were here. We planned a wonderful trip and it was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL weekend. We started off the morning driving through Pisa, spent some time in a small coastal town, and then got to Riamaggiore. After my delicious lunch, we walked along the ‘Path of Love’ to the next town, Manarola. After some time in Manarola, we took the train to Monterosso, which was gorgeous. It was so wonderful to be able to walk around and soak in the sheer beauty of the town, not to mention everything that has to do with my parents and Italy is both comical and joy-filled.

Mom and Dad on the 'Path of Love'

                                           

                                                     

The Craziest/Most Interesting Thing That I Saw:

In an order to execute self-control, I am going to refrain from complaining about all of the countless people that I saw posing for what may as well have been an Italys Next Top Model episode on the steps of one of the largest monument in the city and in an effort to practice even more self control, I will subsequently avoid talking about how handsome the Swiss Guards look in their new spring outfits. . .Aside from the Leaning Tower of Pisa which for the record, actually leans quite a bit, I wouldn’t say necessarily that I have seen for myself anything too crazy or interesting. BUT I have gotten to see all the sites and sounds of Rome through my parents eyes for the first time which has been amazing. Just when I start to think that I am getting used to everything, I am reminded of how much more there is to soak in and appreciate. Having mom and dad here has certainly reminded me of this. On this beautiful spring day when we were on top of one of the monuments here, it was so wonderful to be able to have a complete view of this beautiful city and be able to share my ‘knowledge’ (which usually consists of me saying “Uuhhhh, well this is also pretty old I think.” Or “It’s another beautiful Church, embrace it for what it is.”) and be able to see their reactions for the first time.

On top of said monument! Our new British friends took this picture.
Conversation with the British included: beautiful Roma, an upcoming
wedding, and Social Security. Just another day in the life.