When I decided to start this blog I wanted to write about many different things, seeing I've got many interests as do many of you. In my blog I will write about cooking, current events, books, fashion, beauty tips, sports and yes, even bling, my super passion, as I call it! Please feel free to send me your comments, I am so curious to hear your feedback regarding my blog entries.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
www.80sblingirl.blogspot.it: The Mountains of the Moon (Montage della Luna - La...
www.80sblingirl.blogspot.it: The Mountains of the Moon (Montage della Luna - La...: Il Lago dei Sette Colori The first time my Husband and I went on a h...
The Mountains of the Moon (Montage della Luna - Lago dei Sette Colori)
Il Lago dei Sette Colori
The first time my Husband and I went on a hike it was to this magnificent place, called the Lake of the Seven Colours, it's located about 56 km from Torino, between the French and Italian Alps, they are called the Mountains of the Moon. I remember prior to this excursion I warned my future husband of how I hated hiking, to which he said not to worry, because it's an easy hike up. Not so! It was not the easy hike he made it to be, plus on the way up we took a wrong turn and ended up on a steep trail where on one side there was the mountain and on the other side a steep edge to walk along. Needless to say that since I'm afraid of heights, I started crying. That's when my future husband realized how much I was afraid of heights. In the end we did end up at this beautiful lake and when we sat along the shore of the Lake of the Seven Colours he gave me the first present ever, a pair of earrings that I still have and treasure. That moment made all my fears vanish and made that special day even more memorable.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Verona
As everyone knows, travelling is always an exciting experience, I don't think anyone ever gets tired of travelling, when we travel we learn so much, we learn about new surroundings, new traditions and the history of the locality we are visiting.
When I travel one of the most important things I look for are places to eat, and by that I don't mean those touristic menu restaurants which I avoid at all costs, I like to eat where the locals eat, try their specialties and traditional dishes even if it means spending a little more which is almost never the case because if you go prepared or even ask around you'll discover that finding good eateries won't be a hard task, locals are usually always willing to help out and tell visitors where to go to eat well!
Which brings me to the topic of this blog entry, yes, Verona, last September my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and much to our surprise our sons gave us a wonderful gift, a trip to Verona all expenses paid by them, they booked us in a 4 Star Best Western just a five minute walk from the Arena, I must say it was the best present ever! Hubby and I had a great time, Hotel was great in every sense, I remember telling my husband, "for me just the hotel room itself is the vacation...haha" it had every comfort, well goes to show you how much we are not used to 4 Star Hotels, I mean 3 stars yes but 4 star is a whole different ball game, here in Italy at least.
Every night we'd go have dinner and then walk around the Arena, we were so awestruck by it, so beautiful all lit up at night, then we'd sit in the park just outside the Arena, it was so romantic, such a beautiful memory, I will never ever forget it, during the day we'd do sightseeing in the historical centre, there was so much to see, one of the must sees is Julliet's house, set in a romantic medieval building with Julliet's balcony looking onto the courtyard where all the tourists enjoy taking photos standing next to a statue of Julliet, legend has it that if you rub Julliet's left breast it will bring you good luck, so you see all these tourists rubbing her breast whilst taking a photo, it's actually quite an amusing sight to see, oh and by the way I too didn't miss out on the experience haha.
In the central Piazza, called Piazza delle Erbe, located just off the Arena you will find a very characteristic open air market, where they sell anything from t-shirts to souvenires to food stuff, ice cream and so on, around the piazza are many shops, ice cream parlours and Cafès, there was one Cafè that really struck me, it was called Cafè Wallner, it was so refind and elegant, so relaxing and beautiful decor and they had such delishes pastries, it was like a step back in time to the old ice cream parlours of the fifties in the U.S.A. I highly advise you to pay this Cafè a visit if you go to Verona.
Verona is definitely one place I will certainly enjoy seeing again, it's like Rome, Venice, or Florence, one of those cities you most certainly never tire seeing, and if you do go to Verona remember to make it a point to go see a concert in the Arena, an experience like no other, we went to see Il Volo in concert and it was an unforgettable experience that one can't explain in words, this ancient structure full of beauty and romance fills the air with It's' magic, a feeling you will only understand when you're there.
When I travel one of the most important things I look for are places to eat, and by that I don't mean those touristic menu restaurants which I avoid at all costs, I like to eat where the locals eat, try their specialties and traditional dishes even if it means spending a little more which is almost never the case because if you go prepared or even ask around you'll discover that finding good eateries won't be a hard task, locals are usually always willing to help out and tell visitors where to go to eat well!
Which brings me to the topic of this blog entry, yes, Verona, last September my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and much to our surprise our sons gave us a wonderful gift, a trip to Verona all expenses paid by them, they booked us in a 4 Star Best Western just a five minute walk from the Arena, I must say it was the best present ever! Hubby and I had a great time, Hotel was great in every sense, I remember telling my husband, "for me just the hotel room itself is the vacation...haha" it had every comfort, well goes to show you how much we are not used to 4 Star Hotels, I mean 3 stars yes but 4 star is a whole different ball game, here in Italy at least.
Every night we'd go have dinner and then walk around the Arena, we were so awestruck by it, so beautiful all lit up at night, then we'd sit in the park just outside the Arena, it was so romantic, such a beautiful memory, I will never ever forget it, during the day we'd do sightseeing in the historical centre, there was so much to see, one of the must sees is Julliet's house, set in a romantic medieval building with Julliet's balcony looking onto the courtyard where all the tourists enjoy taking photos standing next to a statue of Julliet, legend has it that if you rub Julliet's left breast it will bring you good luck, so you see all these tourists rubbing her breast whilst taking a photo, it's actually quite an amusing sight to see, oh and by the way I too didn't miss out on the experience haha.
In the central Piazza, called Piazza delle Erbe, located just off the Arena you will find a very characteristic open air market, where they sell anything from t-shirts to souvenires to food stuff, ice cream and so on, around the piazza are many shops, ice cream parlours and Cafès, there was one Cafè that really struck me, it was called Cafè Wallner, it was so refind and elegant, so relaxing and beautiful decor and they had such delishes pastries, it was like a step back in time to the old ice cream parlours of the fifties in the U.S.A. I highly advise you to pay this Cafè a visit if you go to Verona.
Verona is definitely one place I will certainly enjoy seeing again, it's like Rome, Venice, or Florence, one of those cities you most certainly never tire seeing, and if you do go to Verona remember to make it a point to go see a concert in the Arena, an experience like no other, we went to see Il Volo in concert and it was an unforgettable experience that one can't explain in words, this ancient structure full of beauty and romance fills the air with It's' magic, a feeling you will only understand when you're there.
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| Arena di Verona |
Monday, October 5, 2015
So What Have I been Up Too
Hi Everyone, I know, I know, it's been a while since my last entry, so much has happened since January, first of all my older son finished his first 3 years of University, so proud of him, Architecture is certainly not easy but he loves it and that's what's important, here in Italy when they complete the first 3 years of University it's their freshman diploma, now he will go on to get his specialization diploma, which means 2 more years so 5 years in all!!!
In the last 6 months we've also taken a few trips, 1 to Rome, hubby is Roman so we go at least twice a year to see family and friends, that was in May, we also had my niece's first holy Communion, it was just beautiful, foid, weather, venue everything just was so amazing, will post a photo of the Venue later!
In the end of July we wento Laigueglia, Liguria for some fun in the Sun and sea, that was another wonderful experience, never, ever get tired of the beaches here in Italy, we were there for 7 days and had perfect weather too, doesn't get better then that!!! Not to mention the great seafood, yum!
We also took 2 other trips but I will speak to you about thise later, I'm runnung late, keep your eyes ooen for my photos later today, have a nice day and always remember to smile 😀
In the last 6 months we've also taken a few trips, 1 to Rome, hubby is Roman so we go at least twice a year to see family and friends, that was in May, we also had my niece's first holy Communion, it was just beautiful, foid, weather, venue everything just was so amazing, will post a photo of the Venue later!
In the end of July we wento Laigueglia, Liguria for some fun in the Sun and sea, that was another wonderful experience, never, ever get tired of the beaches here in Italy, we were there for 7 days and had perfect weather too, doesn't get better then that!!! Not to mention the great seafood, yum!
We also took 2 other trips but I will speak to you about thise later, I'm runnung late, keep your eyes ooen for my photos later today, have a nice day and always remember to smile 😀
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Italian Carnival 2015
Now that the holiday season is behind us it's time to pull ourselves together and face the new year, hoping it will bring us health, happiness, peace and prosperity, after all it's always, in my opinion, better to think positive. Living in Italy I have learned that worrying about what will happen tomorrow is useless, it's always best to live day by day! But today's post was not my intent to talk about positivity but to tell you about a festivity that in Italy goes way back to Midevil times, Il Carnevale or as we would say in English, Carnival!
The Italian Carnivale is celebrated starting from January 6th all the way to Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, almost every city or town have a traditional parade and traditional costumes, in the bigger cities like Torino, Milan, Venice and Viareggio the parades have really spectacular floats, they have nothing to envy with the Thanksgiving Day Parade or the Rose Bowl Parade in the States!!! Seeing is believing! Usually children go to the Parades dressed in a favourite costume, i.e. Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Minnie Mouse, Ninja Turtles, Batman and so on ...., they also love to throw streamers and coloured confetti to each other and the fliats as they go by, it's actually quite exciting. Even the schools usually have Carnival parties in class, until a few tears ago the children could go to the class Carnival parties dressed in their favourite costume, wether store bought or homemade but in recent years to avoid class distinction amongst the children the Board of Education decided to have the children make the costumes at school as a class project, this is common in many parts of the world these days.
Another great aspect of the Carnevale tradition are the traditional baked goods and sweet fritters, they vary in shape and name, each reagion has a different name or specialty, but I can assure you they are all super yummy!! Below I will post some photos of the floats, costumes and goodies!! Have a nice day and Buon Carnevale! 😀🎉🎊
The Italian Carnivale is celebrated starting from January 6th all the way to Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, almost every city or town have a traditional parade and traditional costumes, in the bigger cities like Torino, Milan, Venice and Viareggio the parades have really spectacular floats, they have nothing to envy with the Thanksgiving Day Parade or the Rose Bowl Parade in the States!!! Seeing is believing! Usually children go to the Parades dressed in a favourite costume, i.e. Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Minnie Mouse, Ninja Turtles, Batman and so on ...., they also love to throw streamers and coloured confetti to each other and the fliats as they go by, it's actually quite exciting. Even the schools usually have Carnival parties in class, until a few tears ago the children could go to the class Carnival parties dressed in their favourite costume, wether store bought or homemade but in recent years to avoid class distinction amongst the children the Board of Education decided to have the children make the costumes at school as a class project, this is common in many parts of the world these days.
Another great aspect of the Carnevale tradition are the traditional baked goods and sweet fritters, they vary in shape and name, each reagion has a different name or specialty, but I can assure you they are all super yummy!! Below I will post some photos of the floats, costumes and goodies!! Have a nice day and Buon Carnevale! 😀🎉🎊
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Canadians in Italy
Hi there, it's been a while since my last entry, in the last month much has happened, Christmas has come and gone and we are embarking on a new year hoping all goes well!!
As I mentioned much has happened in the past few weeks, one of the most exciting things that has happened is that I finally orginized a wonderful Luncheon for Canadians living in Italy, and what more perfect setting to hold such an event than in Rome! Needless to mention it was a huge success and from the goings of it, it was the first of many more events like this one! There were 23 of us, some came with their families others with a friend, they came from all over Italy, well me from Torino, a couple from Vicenza, a few from the Lazio region and also from Bari, one came all the way from Qatar to be present at our Luncheon!!! I personally thought it would be a good idea to give a small part of the fee as a Donation to the Sick Children's Hospital, Bambin Gesu' di Roma. All in all everyone came away from this event happy and satisfied to have finally met in person their fellow Canadians who like them live in Italy and have got to know through the Facebook page Canadians in Italy. I have made a video collage of our Canadians in Italy Luncheon and I hope you will enjoy it!
As I mentioned much has happened in the past few weeks, one of the most exciting things that has happened is that I finally orginized a wonderful Luncheon for Canadians living in Italy, and what more perfect setting to hold such an event than in Rome! Needless to mention it was a huge success and from the goings of it, it was the first of many more events like this one! There were 23 of us, some came with their families others with a friend, they came from all over Italy, well me from Torino, a couple from Vicenza, a few from the Lazio region and also from Bari, one came all the way from Qatar to be present at our Luncheon!!! I personally thought it would be a good idea to give a small part of the fee as a Donation to the Sick Children's Hospital, Bambin Gesu' di Roma. All in all everyone came away from this event happy and satisfied to have finally met in person their fellow Canadians who like them live in Italy and have got to know through the Facebook page Canadians in Italy. I have made a video collage of our Canadians in Italy Luncheon and I hope you will enjoy it!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Christmas Will Soon Be Here!!
Hi friends! I know it's been a while since my last post but have had so much going on since I last posted an entry on my Blog!! The main reason being that my mom fell ill at the begining of this year and after various tests we found out that she had cancer, she went into hospital in mid March only to never return home, after many ups and many, many downs she quietly left us on July 17th/2014 with me by her bedside 😔 It was the saddest moment of my entire life!!! But life goes on, right?! After mourning and feeling depressed for weeks, at times not even showing it, since I have 2 sons who were devastated by this loss, I had to naturally grieve with them but also try to keep going for them!
I have just lately started to embark in new little projects, one of which is getting some friends together from different parts of Italy to meet up for a luncheon in Rome around the Holiday season, mom would've wanted me to go on as she did many, many times in her life.
My other little projects are simply putting together my little Christmas gifts for friends and family and buying my supplies will be part of the fun of doing so, anyways have to go now and continue my daily routines, will chelck in with updates on both my luncheon preparations and xmas projects, hugs and ✌️❤️☕️ Oly!! This is a photo of my beautiful mother Carmela, taken in her youth when she lived in Genova, Italy, love and miss her tons!!
I have just lately started to embark in new little projects, one of which is getting some friends together from different parts of Italy to meet up for a luncheon in Rome around the Holiday season, mom would've wanted me to go on as she did many, many times in her life.
My other little projects are simply putting together my little Christmas gifts for friends and family and buying my supplies will be part of the fun of doing so, anyways have to go now and continue my daily routines, will chelck in with updates on both my luncheon preparations and xmas projects, hugs and ✌️❤️☕️ Oly!! This is a photo of my beautiful mother Carmela, taken in her youth when she lived in Genova, Italy, love and miss her tons!!
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