I'm currently sitting in our kitchen and my roomies are making a delicious Sunday brunch and it just hit me that this is one of the last times we're all going to be together! SO SAD. I can't believe it's already our last weekend in Torino and how FAST time has flown by. I have such mixed feelings about leaving Italy on Thursday. SO sad to leave Torino and the amazing friends I've met here. But at the same time I'm so excited for Christmas and just being back in America. With all its glory of wifi, data plans, dryers, normal coffee, the English language, and California warmth. Our last weekend in Europe is coming to a close and I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend it. It was such a great time and bittersweet to be doing some things for the last time. The weekend involved lots of hanging out with friends and italian friends, skiing in the Italian alps, roommie bonding (they leave tomorrow and tuesday) and lots of snow!
On Thursday, my roomies and I went with Brandi's Italian friends to apertivo at a place downtown. It was so fun to go with locals because we never would have found the place! Later that night I went out with some other friends and our Italian friends and while we were out, it started snowing! It was the first time it has snowed in Torino this season and the next day the city looked so beautiful!
Happy kids.
Torino and the snow!
On Friday night, our next-door neighbors hosted a dinner party with lots of Italian friends. Brandi and I went over early to help Diana cook and she made a true Italian meal complete with appetizers, spaghetti carbonara, eggplant parmigiana, and and even tiramisu. So many Italians in one place is always so fun.
This weekend I also bonded with my lovely roomies a lot over apertivo and trips to the open market and random adventures. Apertivo is one of my favorite Italian things and I'll miss our dinners a ton. The open market is also pretty awesome this time of year with Christmas decorations galore, on top of the millions of other things sold there.. things from fancy rugs to clothing and accessories to home-goods to fresh produce!
The flowers at the open market!
On Saturday I went to Bardonecchia, about an hour north of Torino, for a last minute ski-trip in the Italian alps! Maddie, Grace and I took the train up early in the morning and were picked up at the train station by our friend Arielle and her Italian friend Jake. We drove up to a small town in the mountains and since the ski season is just starting, we almost had the mountain to ourselves! Jake and his brother brought us some extra snow pants and googles, and I borrowed a jacket and gloves from some friends. Skiing all day was so incredible and since I was wearing basically all the clothes that I own, it wasn't that cold. :)
I hadn't skied in a few years but lucky got back into it pretty fast and had so much fun (and it was only slightly traumatic.) We starting going down slopes that were almost 90 degree angles (they might tell you this is an over exaggeration) and I tried not to appear too freaked out since the people I was with were PROS. I would literally stand at the top of every huge slope and take a few minutes to convince myself I wasn't going to die. Contrary to how it seemed at the time, I did end up surviving without any major damage done! I did wipe out a few times (oops).. once when I was turning too fast I flew off the side and into the trees and really deep snow. My skies flew off and it hurt but luckily some really nice (attractive) Italians rushed over and made a trail for me and then pulled me out. It was so embarrassing but hey, they were sweet and cute so it wasn't all bad. Such an amazing and exhausting day in the alps!
Ci vediamo in quattro giorni, America!
