Getting back to my trip to Milano, that night that I arrived and was so tired, the Italian had said to me that he needed me to try something on. I was so tired that I said ok, can I try it tomorrow and he said yes, of course of course. I had forgotten about it for most of the day and it was Christmas Eve. He told me to take my time getting ready because we weren't due at his home until dinner. He also promised to take me to il centro (downtown) to see all the Christmas decorations. We took the underground into the center and there were people still out doing last minute shopping. I then remembered to ask him what it was he wanted me to try on. He said oh yes, and had this strange look on his face, then he pulled out a little brown box and said, "I hope you will marry me"
It was so cute! I was not expecting it! I thought he wanted me to try on like a sweater or something. Of course I said YES YES YES!! SI SI SI!! It was the happiest Christmas Eve of my life.
We celebrated by having an Espresso e cornetto at Bar Cova. A swanky little place on Via Montenapoleone. Think Rodeo Drive.
And so it is official. We are engaged, extremely happy and so deeply in love! We are hoping to be married in the fall but it will really depend on when he can finally get here, then we can start making our plans.
I am really behind in all the posts I have planned but there have been many changes, which I also plan on posting about soon. I have a lot of catching up to do!
Once we arrived at the hotel I was so exhausted, I laid in the bed and didn't want to move. The Italian asked if I wanted to go have dinner with his family and I felt so bad because I was too tired. I needed to bathe and I knew once I did that it would be a matter of minutes before I knocked out cold, but I was hungry. I told him that I really wanted to but I was just too tired to muster up the energy. He understood and offered to go out and get me some pizza. I agreed as this would give me a chance to take a shower and freshen up.
I stumbled onto the website of Le Tre Torri somehow when searching for a place to stay. The price was right and it's right on the green line which goes to the neighborhood where the Italian lives with his family. I had him go and check it out and it seemed like a nice place and the owners were very nice. The room was a little spartan with Ikea furnishings but it was clean and suited my needs. It's not really a hotel but more like a self-service room rental type place. They also offered free Wi-Fi. The Italian was a little skeptical about the neighborhood called Lambrate because it has a bit of a past but they seem to have cleaned it up and it was very convenient when we wanted to go into the center of Milano as well as going to his families house which we would drive to rather than use the metro. I really recommend this place if you need an economical place to stay in Milano. The longer you stay the more discount they offer. There is a communal kitchen and dining room as well as a washing machine. If I had to, I would definitely stay there again.
The Italian promised to bring me back a really delicious pizza. I was starving so I was really looking forward to it. Well, he didn't disappoint! Wow, I don't know if it was because I was starving but this was among the best pizza I've ever had in my life. Trattoria Pizzera La Cappelletta was near the hotel and seems to have a little history. This is what is written on the box:
Narrano leggende che ai tempi dei Romani, nel luogo ove ora sorge la Cappelletta vi fosse un santuario cristiano. Forse era solo un sasso, ma con il passare del tempo e' diventato un simbolo, che ha acquistato una forza e una simbologia da caratterizzare un intero paese quale era Lambrate. Oggi purtroppo non la si nota quasi piu', sommersa dalle case e dalle auto, ma e' bello sapere che un luogo cosi' ricco di spiritualita' a cui generazioni di lambratesi hanno affidato le loro preghiere, sia sempre qui a portata di mano.
The pizza was like no other pizza I have ever had before. The crust had a bit of a sourdough taste to it and it was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, because I was so hungry I didn't think to take a picture of it until after I finished it, so I took a picture of the box instead. He just bought enough for me as it was way too early for him to eat dinner. He stayed with me until I fell asleep, then he went home to eat with his family. I asked him to please give my apologies to his family but I was just way too tired. He kept telling me not to worry, that they would understand. When he came back from his dinner I woke up and he let me know that his family completely understood and that they looked forward to meeting me the next day which was Christmas Eve. I was so relieved and went right back to sleep.
I went to bed around midnight on the 21st knowing I had to be up 3 hours later. There was just so much to do before I left. I had a 6:30am flight and what with all the snow storms going on all over the place, I figured I better get an early start just in case. My friend Darcy graciously offered to drive me to the airport at the ungodly hour of 3:30am. Thank goodness for good friends! She also took care of my car for me while I was gone which saved me close to $200 had I parked at the airport.
The best part about having to be at the airport so early was the coffee! I love Coffee People! They used to have shops all over Portland but now they only have 2 locations at the airport, so this was truly a treat!
I was about the 3rd person in line to check in and the guy behind me commented on my stack of suitcases. "You don't travel light, do you?" I laughed and said, "No, I've never been one to backpack anywhere. Plus it's Christmas so I'm smuggling gifts!" Turns out he's from New York and a graduate of the Maritime Academy in the Bronx which is located in the neighborhood I lived in for 4 years. Nice guy. He came into Portland on a ship and said that he really loves the city :-) He mentioned that he liked it a lot better than Seattle. We got to talking about what Portland is known for and he specifically said he loved the variety of beer here and that the East Coast just doesn't have the quality beer that Portland does. I loved hearing that, I just wish I were a beer lover! I'm more a wine person. I do enjoy the Ruby from McMenamins but that's about the size of it. He wasn't on my flight though, so once I checked in we wished each other Happy Holidays and off I went to the gate. While waiting for my flight a woman sat next to me and we started talking. It turns out she is my neighbor, literally lives across the street in the townhomes and she is married to a man from Italy. Quite the coincidence! She was going to NY to visit her daughter who is in college. She was a vicitm of the snow storm that hit the East Coast and was actually supposed to fly out 2 days prior. This trip started so well having met these two nice people. This is what I love about traveling. Meeting diverse people from everywhere. These two I happened to have a bit in common with :-)
When I arrived in NY I walked over to Terminal 1 and went up to the departures area to check in for the next portion of my flight. I should mention that the first portion was on Delta and the second portion was on Alitalia, which is a Skyteam partner of Delta. I arrived to the news that my flight was to be delayed 9 hours due to snow at Malpensa. I was really disappointed because every moment I have with the Italian is precious, so every moment spent in Terminal 1 was a moment lost with him. Alas, I had no choice.
Initally I called my friend Rachel who lives on Long Island and she was happy to come and pick me up but I told her I needed to check with the airline to see what they wanted the passengers to do. They asked that we check in and wait at the gate in the event that the snow stopped and Malpensa was back up and running. So I called Rachel back and told her I'd have to stay there. I really wanted to see her and her son who I haven't had the pleasure of meeting since the last time we saw each other was when she came to visit 2 1/2 years ago. The airline gave us a $10 voucher (which buys you all of a bottle of water and some pretzel's in NY), so I settled in and started watching movies on iTunes. One by one I watched several planes take off, Paris, Mexico City, Taipei, another flight to Paris, Munich, etc. I started to feel like I was on the movie Terminal! No communication from the airline whatsoever. I felt particularly bad for the families with small children. They were all restless and crying. The parents exhausted. This sort of put it into perspective for me and I stopped feeling sorry for myself asap!
When they finally announced boarding, in true Italian fashion, everyone bum rushed the gate. Forget boarding group 1, 2, 3 and 4 in that order, it was every man, woman and child for themselves!
It was a long uncomfortable flight and I got absolutely no sleep. I felt like a zombie when I finally arrived around 4pm Milano time which is 7am Portland time (the next day!). It took about an hour to get my luggage, then when I finally walked out the door, I looked through the crowd of faces and didn't see the one I was looking for. Then out of nowhere I got the biggest hug and kiss. I was so happy! Exhausted but happy. It was as though not a moment in time had passed since we were last together. I'll admit that I was a bit worried about this as distance and time sometimes puts a damper on relationships but I was immediately put at ease with his warm reception. We took the pullman (which is what the locals call the bus, which is not a city bus but more like a Greyhound bus) to the Stazione Centrale, then took the underground to my hotel.
I'm still here but headed back in a couple of days. I have lots of posts planned so stay tuned. I'm pretty sad to have to go back so soon because I've had such a great time here, but such is life. Back to reality. A presto!
Here is the new Travel Portland video. I was so excited when I saw it that I had to share it here with you. I love this city and all that it has to offer. We are the most ecofriendly city in the states, microbrew capitol of America, Willamette Valley wines, no sales tax, Cannon Beach...the most photographed coast line in America, Mt Hood ski and recreation area. One hour to the coast and one hour to the mountains, the Deschutes River among so many others with great river rafting, the abundant Hood River Valley, coops, community gardens, Farmers markets, great restaurants....and so much more!! Have a look for yourself and if your ever in town, please look me up!
I've been contemplating buying one of these however, it's a pretty major purchase and with my impending trip to Milano and a subsequent sidetrip that we are planning, I am wondering if I should spend the money. One could argue that this is a good reason to make such a purchase. I will come home with beautiful pictures of our travels. When I think of all the beautiful pictures I could have had from all my previous travels, I say to myself, you have to buy it! My little point-and-shoot Sony digital camera did an OK job, but nothing spectacular. Nothing like what I could have with this baby:
Oh the joy this little beauty would bring me! Of course then the frugal and very logical person in me (who the hell is that??!!) thinks of how much smaller my bank account will be when I slap the money down for this and I think, I really shouldn't.....sigh... I'm like a paranoid schizophrenic arguing with myself about this. Best Buy has this package deal but being that I don't know a whole lot about digital SLR's, I'm not sure if I should go for it. Then of course I will need memory cards, an extra battery and such. The price is really going up! And do I really need to buy the Geek Squad Black Tie 4 year protection plan for $249.99??!! Of course, we have no sales tax here in Oregon, so that's an instant savings on that alone! But still....
I live in one of the most beautiful states in the union and there is so much opportunity for beautiful pictures here. I don't travel as often as I used to, or as I would like, but I still travel at least once a year, more or less. (I'm trying to justify this major purchase here, in case it isn't obvious) The Italian says there is always new technology coming out for these things and that as soon as I buy one, there will be a better one to follow it. Of course there will be. That's true with just about anything these days, but I am sure that this toy will last me many years to come and will bring me lots of joy and treasured memories. I can blow-up and frame my own artwork. I would have to take a class or read a book though because until now, I haven't even mastered my point-and-shoot, but to be honest, I never really cared because I knew that it could never do what an SLR can. I'd like to make my blog more interesting with pictures of Portland and her surroundings. Of the beautiful Oregon coast, and all the other places we will be traveling in the near and distant future. Of life and our future together. I'd also be doing my part to stimulate the economy, no?
Do those of you out there with an SLR think it was a good investment and have no regrets?
This Tuesday I've decided to share a really special song. I'm just gonna lay it all out there, why not?? So this song is called "Sabes" which means "You Know" and it's by a group from Mexico called Reik. They're kind of "popish" but I really like some of their ballads, in particular this one.
I first heard this most romantic song when I had just gotten back from Italy, after having met the Italian. It was a beautiful spring day in March when I fist laid eyes on his beautiful face. I knew he was going to be someone very important in my life. I spent 7 of the most wonderful days of my life with him in Milano. He was my personal tour guide and left quite the impression on me with his knowledge of all things Milano. Art, architecture, culture, history, etc. and it wasn't just limited to Milano, global really. He took me to restaurants where I was the only tourist and I had some really memorable meals. Somewhere in the course of those 7 days, I fell truly, madly, deeply (in Spanish, "locamente, siegamente, profundamente, enamorada") in love with this man. The day I had to get on a plane back to the states was torcher, serious agony. I was happy and scared at the same time. He promised me he would come visit me in the summer and I knew deep down in my heart he would, but I couldn't help but feel this least bit vulnerable. I mean I pretty much put myself out there to get my heart torn to shreds. I had never participated in a long distance relationship of this nature. When you first fall in love with someone, you want to spend every waking moment with them, and this was pretty much out of the question for us. How was this going to work?? A wise woman once commented on this here blog that "if it was meant to be, then it already is". She couldn't have been more right. Once I learned to let go and trust, the pieces just sort of fell into place. The Italian has been here to Portland twice now and our bond continues to grow stronger with each passing day. We have a bright future together, and even though we are still living apart, I wake up every morning knowing that we are one day closer to finally being together on a more permanent basis.
Back to the song, this song thoroughly describes what I have felt for him from the very beginning. It resonated in my soul. So this song is for you chiquito lindo. I love you.
Translation to go along with the lyrics.
Sabes? You know? No pido nada mas que estar entre tus brazos I ask for nothing more than to be in your arms Y huir de todo el mal And flee from all that is bad Que ha todo he renunciado I have renounced it all Por estar junto a ti To be by your side
Sabes? No dejo de pensar You know? I can't stop thinking Que estoy enamorado That I'm in love Te quiero confesar I want to confess to you Que soy solo un esclavo That I'm just a slave Que no sabe vivir sin ti That doesn't know how to live without you
Cuando llegaste tu When you arrived Te metiste en mi ser You entered my being Encendiste la luz You lit the light Me llenaste de fe You filled me with faith
Tanto tiempo busque I searched for so long Pero al fin te encontre But I finally found you Tan perfecta como te imagine So perfect, like I imagined you
Como aguja en un pajar Like a needle in a haystack Te busque sin cesar I searched for you without ceasing Como huella en el mar Like a footprint in the sea Tan dificil de hallar So difficult to find
Tanto tiempo busque I searched for so long Pero al fin te encontre But I finally found you Tan perfecta como te imagine So perfect, like I imagined you
Sabes? You know? Te quiero confesar I want to confess to you Que te encuentro irresistible That I find you irrisistible No dejo de pensar I can't stop thinking Que haria lo imposible That I would do the impossible Por quedarme cerca de ti To remain near you
Cuando llegaste tu When you arrived Te metiste en mi ser You entered my being Encendiste la luz You lit the light Me llenaste de fe You filled me with faith
Tanto tiempo busque I searched for so long Pero al fin te encontre But I finally found you Tan perfecta como te imagine So perfect, like I imagined you
Como aguja en un pajar Like a needle in a haystack Te busque sin cesar I searched for you without ceasing Como huella en el mar Like a footprint in the sea Tan dificil de hallar So difficult to find
Tanto tiempo busque I searched for so long Pero al fin te encontre But I finally found you Tan perfecta como te imagine So perfect, like I imagined you
Sabes? You know? No pido nada mas I ask for nothing more Que estar entre tus brazos Then to be in your arms
The month practically flew by.......but we did so many things and had such a great time. He made some new connections(important ones!!) and I continued on in school. I must confess, I took a few days off to enjoy with my Ale, but no harm no foul. I still got good grades on my tests, that's all that matters and I am only 2 and a half months away from Graduation!
We are total foodies and tried lots of new restaurants and caffes and have yet to post some of our reviews on Yelp because we are avid Yelpers!! He also cooked a lot. I'm so lucky to have such a good cook for my Fidanzato! I've learned a lot from him. Admittedly, I don't like to cook much. Baking is more my thing, although I haven't done much of that lately either so as not to sabotage my lifestyle change.
I will miss some of the cute things he used to say like, "field and tracks" instead of "track and field" when we watched the Olympics. "Gender Bender" instead of "Fender Bender". Isn't he so cute??!!
But more importantly, we grew closer and stronger together and there are big things in store for us, but I can't elaborate on that just yet. You'll just have to tune in and see what happens!
Here are some of our adventures: Here he is with Smokey the Bear at Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, Oregon. Safety first!! And us together with the volcano as our backdrop.
Ale by the Hood River and Mt Hood and the Hood River Valley. There are more pics to share and I will post them later. Oregon is already showing signs of Fall. The temps are a little cooler and the breezes a little crisper. It's my favorite season of the year and I hope it brings good things!
Around this time one year ago we fell in love in Milan. Happy Anniversary Chiquito Lindo! I love you more and more everyday. I've had the best times of my life with you and I can't wait to make more memories with you.
The next stop on our Northwest Coast tour was Seattle. The Emerald City. We were both pretty excited since neither one of us had ever been there. It was a short 3 1/2 hour drive from Portland and that's only because we got caught up in some traffic around Olympia. As soon as we unloaded our luggage we were off to explore this beautiful city. I had one thing on my mind.....CHOWDER!! And I didn't care if it was clam, seafood...whatever! I just wanted me some chowder.
We made our way to the Public Market and it was later in the afternoon so the action was gone and things were closed down. Luckily, the next day was the 100th Anniversary of Public Market. We had no idea! But we were in for a treat!
I found my chowder house!! Pike's Place Chowder was calling my name. And they have award winning chowder. Boy did I hit pay dirt! Unfortunately, when we found it, it was closed but that wasn't going to stop me. I'd be back tomorrow for my very own bowl. The Italian isn't a big fan of seafood, so I wouldn't have to share. Doesn't it look scrumptious??!! In case your wondering, it's seafood chowder and it was the best I EVER had. Yep, it's that good. I just about licked the bread bowl dry.
After walking around Pike's Place and downtown we decided to head back to our room to freshen up for dinner. The Italian's Lonely Planet guidebook suggested we eat dinner at McCormick's, a seafood and steak house. So off we headed on foot in search of our dinner. On the way there we passed by Morton's, you know, the famous steakhouse. I'll have to write a separate post about our experience at Morton's in Portland. It was memorable to say the least.
I was surprised when the Italian ordered fish. I think he had trout or something like that and I had salmon. We ordered the suggested wine and it went perfectly with our meal. Everything was delicious. I highly recommend this place if you are ever in downtown Seattle. As we walked back to our hotel through downtown, we ran into a familiar friend. The Italian had to have his picture taken with the guy. He was being a little camera shy and gave us his back. We were pretty exhausted when we made it back to the hotel and decided to call it a night.
