Ventures in Verona and Cheese...

I'm currently on a train to La Spezia, which is a town just outside of Cinque Terre, or 5 lands.  We originally planned on taking a noon train out of Verona, but quickly had to change our plans when we hopped on the wrong bus that took us on a 2 hour (not an exaggeration) bus ride in the wrong direction.  I'm honestly not even sure where we were, but the view was beautiful, so we changed plans and didn't get on a train until 15:50(6:50pm).  This is a late night post and we've been sitting on a bus/train for far too long for any athlete to be sitting, so I apologize for any typos or rambling!

We've been in Europe for a week now!  The city has continued to amaze me with how beautiful it is.  Although we've encountered some serious issues maneuvering train stations, bus lines, and busy city streets, we finish each day having learned something. 

On Wednesday, we had an excursion to Grana Padano cheese factory.  This was probably the excursion I was least excited about when I was looking over the syllabus, but it was SO cool.  Not to sound too cheesy but I loved learning about the process involved in making formaggio!   We learned that the cheese is made from milk that has been separated from the majority of the excess fat that it comes with, and that fat is then recycled to make butter- nothing goes to waste!  It was really cool being able to see the storage room where the Granna Padano cheese ages.   The room was huge, and stored 6,500 wheels that weighed over 100 pounds and were valued at 4 million euros....my mind was blown.

After a full tour of the extremely stanky cheese factory, we finally got to try the cheeses!  I was nervous to try some of them,  because I don't typically like cheese all that much, but they were amazing.  Cheese in  Italy is an entirely different ballgame.  You haven't lived until you've tried fresh mozzarella...I'm talking 2 minutes old fresh.  It's safe to say I've had more cheese in the last week than I have in my entire life.

The family who owned the factory had been in the business since 1905!  A lot of Italians own businesses that are handed down from generation to generation, and everyone here is extremely passionate about what they do- be it making cheese, scooping gelato, or waiting tables. 

Thursday was a fun and busy day!  I woke up early to go on a run, which is a daily occurrence for Carly and I.  This was incredible because I found my favorite view of Verona so far at sunset over the vineyards in the hills... I found some of the most beautiful homes and views that I couldn't even explain or capture with a photo.  I love the vastness that the hills and vineyards provide, and turning around to make it back for class is always the most difficult part of every run- no matter how big the hill or how tired I am.  This week I ran over 30 miles from Sunday to Thursday--and I can't wait to explore new trails next week!

I made it back just in time for a little game of soccer, which was a blast!   Although I'm way too competitive for a game of soccer when I'm terrible, it was so fun sliding around on the wet grass with my professor and other students in the program!  Afterwards,  we had class, then a cooking lesson at our classroom in the heart of Verona.  We learned who to make Gnocchi with 4 different types of cheeses, topped with cinnamon, a healthy yogurt desert with fresh berries, and fresh caprese salad.  Our instructor Antonia Polese is an absolute gem of a lady.  She has a very particular way of cooking, and it's truly an amazing experience to learn all of the tricks of the trade!  Cooking is amazing because we're using all fresh ingredients.  Even things like cheese have health benefits, and Olive Oil is gold to the Italians. 

After our cooking lesson, we met by the Roman Coliseum to take an official tour of the city of Verona with our extremely aggressive tour guide, Victoria.  Victoria has a very shrill voice and she could clear the streets of anything that gets in her way, but she had some amazing things to say.  She taught us all about the history of Verona and the four main stages of it's history.  It had been under the rule of the Romans, Austrians, and the French under Napoleon.  The city walls are still up, and although a lot has changed, traces and battle wounds are still present.  Victoria also showed us a cool restaurant called Osteria Sottoriva, which is known for it's horse meat, which is a delicacy in Verona.  Caitlin, Carly, and I have vowed we'd be back to try it...eek!  This restaurant has a lot of character, it even has a sign on the wall that translates to "Don't think, you have to drink!"  Another stop on our tour included Romeo's alleged house, as well as Giuletta's balcony.  Romeo's family was banished from the city twice, but extensive searching has led people to believe he lived in a striped brick house about 5 minutes from Giuliette's.  Seeing Giuliette's balcony was cool not because of all of the history that surrounded it, but just the general feeling that I got when I walked through the walls.  There is an aura of love and happiness in the courtyard, which is surrounded by letters that people have written to Giulietta, locks on the gates with couple's initials, and a colorful wall full of loving messages on the walls of the entrance.  Giuliette is a type of hero for the people of Verona, partially because she brings in hundreds of tourists each year.  The best part of the tour was being able to go to the office of the Secretaries of Giuliette, and being offered to volunteer to respond to the hundreds of letters that come through each day.  Every Tuesday and Thursday,  Carly, Caitlin, and I will be responding to love letters from English speaking people seeking advice from the most romantic love story ever written--pretty cool, right? 

When I think I've seen pretty much all there is to see, I find another fortress, church, or twist of the Adige River.  This city truly is amazing, and I've fallen in love with it...and the challenges it has presented and I can't wait to explore it some more! For now, I can't wait to see the five lands and scenic views of Cinque Terre! 

An adorable farm I found on my run in Verona

Getting CHEESY! 

Yogurt and fresh berries

the largest church in Verona

The famous balcony of Guiletta!

Getting our daily grapes in

Running shoes and Turri Olive Oil

     Hello from Verona! We've been here two days now, but it seems like it's been so much longer because we've been so busy! We arrived Sunday afternoon at the Centro Carraro, which is a convention center in Verona. It's a big building with our rooms on the upper stories and classrooms on the ground level. It's a gated building surrounded by gardens and soccer fields behind the building. The building itself bears striking similarities to the hotel in The shining, and i'm just hoping that Jack Nicholson doesn't break down our door!
     The first thing I did upon arrival was take out my running shoes. I haven't been able to find a place to rent a road bike yet so my need to explore has taken me to the running trails. My Saucony Kinvaras are going to be getting some serious miles on them in the next month! Upon arrival, we saw hundreds of cyclists out. I actually thought there was a cycling event that day because so many people were out on the roads. There are absolutely NO 'freds' in Italy. I've yet to see one mismatched kit. I'm trying to find a bike but for now, I'm absolutely loving my runs here in Verona. My first couple runs here have been idilic. There is one main road in front of our hotel with a path that follows the Adige river, so that's my home base for running, although I'll take short side roads when I know I can find my way back!
      Later in the afternoon, we went to a villa in the heart of Verona for our orientation dinner. We were able to meet the staff that will be instructing us on the ins and outs of the Mediterranean Diet, eat an amazing meal that included potato leak soup, various meats and cheeses, fresh strawberries, and of course, wine. The food here is unlike anything that I've ever had before. There is a high standard here for fresh, local, and non-processed food. Even simple things like strawberries and tomatoes taste completely different here because they aren't artificially enhanced. Also, the wine is incredible. Italians love their wine, and it's typically extremely inexpensive here. In fact, many of the places we've visited have had wine that is actually cheaper than water, so why not go with the wine! Going back to the typical Yellowtail and Cupcake wine in the US is going to be an extremely difficult transition.
      Verona is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. From the surrounding mountains, vineyards, and the Adige River, it truly is a magical place. Growing up in a desert, then moving to another desert has me deprived of the color green. Thankfully, there is absolutely no shortage of that here. Everywhere you look there is a vineyard. The people here are extremely friendly and forgiving of our terrible broken mix of english/spanish/italian that we use to communicate. The atmosphere is incredible and being here makes me want to branch out of my comfort zone and try new things. There really isn't a bad thing you can order on a menu, so I've been trying to get things that I wouldn't normally order.
      We have successfully made it through the first day of school here in Verona!   Today, we had an excursion to the Turri Olive Oil plant near Lake Garda, Italy. This was pretty cool because we learned not only the health benefits of olive oil, but also how it is made, the season it's grown in, different types of olive oil from various regions, and ways to use it in Mediterranean cooking. The Turri family has been in the Olive Oil industry since the 1950's and have grown an extremely successful family business. They were so welcoming and showed us around the plant, showed us the proper way to taste olive oil, and the qualities you look for in good olive oil. We also ate lunch at the Turri plant, which included Pesto Pasta(my favorite), Crude Vegetables with Citronette, and lemon cake baked with olive oil. The food was incredible, and it was even more exciting learning how to make all the components that went into making it from our instructor Antonia Polese, who is a local chef. The Mediterranean diet places a lot of emphasis on Olive Oil as it contains polyphenols that act as antioxidants, as well as Omega 3's. After our Turri excursion we made a quick trip to Lake Garda, which was only a couple miles down the road. We decided to rent a peddle boat and journey out into the middle of the lake which was so fun, even though we almost got knocked upside down by the wake of a large yacht that drove by! After our peddle boat excursion we sat down for a quick Mimosa by the water and sat next to a man wearing only a tight, bright, red speed(welcome to Europe!)
     Even though it's only the second day, I can't wait to see where this big adventure takes me! Carly, Caitlin and I have been three peas in a pod since this whole adventure started, and I honestly think I'd be lost on a train somewhere if it wasn't for them. It's amazing how close you get with people when you're lost in a foreign country together! I'm having a blast getting lost and finding my way in the most beautiful city. Cheers, my friends!

  "La memoria e' come una goccia d'olio buttata nell'acqua. Puo scomparire per un instante ma poi se ne torna su, sta il galleggia come uno sguardo su cio che e' stato'"

 "Memory is like a drop of oil falling into water. It may sink for a moment, but only to resurface and floating its gaze embraces all that has passed"

-Nico Orengo

Putting some serious miles on my running shoes with these beautiful views! 

Selfie at the Italian Villa at Orientation 

Castelvecchio 

Turri Olive Oil

Made with olives specific to the Lake Garda Region

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Saying that we are 'winging' this trip would definitely be an understatement.  Our travels today have been unreal, and it has taken 2 airplanes, 2 trains, and 1 taxi to get us to Hotel Ambra in Milan.  We had to do make some serious change of plans when our Zurich flight was delayed 1.5 hours due to rain, and we missed our connection to Milan.  We were then forced to hop on a train for 5 hours.  We made it to our hostel without knowing any english and essentially having no plans.  I'd call it a success! 

We planned to wake up early today and go sight seeing in Milano, however our jetlag thought otherwise-- we woke up from our 14 hour slumber at 12:30 pm... CIAO!   I fit in a quick 30 minute run here in Milan then showered and we hit the centro and took a 30 minute bus to see the Duomo.  We're staying 'off the beaten path' and most of the people on our centro were locals, so we stand out like sore thumbs knowing little to no italian...needless to say we didn't make many friends here today... with the exception of our friendly hostel pal including Mati, who took us out for drinks on the town tonight! Highlights of the day include eating gelato at Cioccolat Italiani, which is an extremely poppin' gelato shop near the Duomo (we waited 30 minutes in line... it was worth every minute), our Hostel Hotel Ambra, which has been a home away from home with the most kind and friendly people, and simply managing to navigate a foreign city without having any prior knowledge has been the biggest victory for us.  Some surprises that Italy has shown us thus far include public transportation, figuring out how to flush the toilet because they're all different(seriously...it gets tricky here), deciding whether we want our water with or without "gas," and trying to not look like complete tourists everywhere we go..even though that's exactly what we are!   Milan is a beautiful city full of life, and I can't wait to see what Verona has in store for us!  

Albuquerque--> Phoenix--> Newark--> Zurich--> Brig-->Milan-->Verona

Our Milano Hostel has a lot of character...we spent hours talking on the roof with a couple bottles of wine

The Duomo was incredible... so much detail in one building

The BEST friend who dropped me off at the airport at 4am in Phoenix! 

Waiting for our connecting train in Brig... after 24 hours of travel already

Italian coffee is so cute! ...do I need a chaser for this? 

Selfie with Mati, who is running a marathon tomorrow! 

Year in Review

May is always such a bittersweet time of the year because it marks new beginnings and endings.  Maybe it's just finals procrastination, but I've been feeling really nostalgic these past few days about all of the great things that this year has taught me, and all the memories I've gained.  I've got to say this year has been one hell of a ride.  Balancing a full academic schedule, a volunteer position at Southern Arizona Aids Foundation, a waitress job at Dirtbags Bar, serving as the Vice President of TriCats, living in Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority with my lovely 86 roommates, as well as the occasional swim, bike and run workouts made me feel like I was being pulled in 100 directions.  Looking back on it, I probably took on too many responsibilities, stayed out too late, and drank a little too much coffee.  However, there have been some amazing lessons I have learned from my year as a triathlete who lives in a sorority house and works at a bar.

Branch out.
I've learned that associating yourself with people from all different walks of life brings out the best in you as a person.  Stereotypes aren't always accurate, in fact they rarely are.  I've learned SO much from my teammates, co-workers, and Kappas that has really opened up my eyes.  Seeing the very best in everyone is something that I focus on.  Everyone can teach you something- you just have to be willing to learn.  If all of the people you're surrounded by look, think, and act the same way-go find new people to surround yourself with.

Say yes.

There will always be something that you should be doing.  You should start that paper, you should go to that meeting, you should send those emails.  If you're always doing what's required of you, you're going to miss out on a whole lot.  Say yes to a last minute trip to disneyland, late night trips to dairy queen, staying at the Mumford and Sons show even when it's hailing golf balls, trekking out on the edge of the Grand Canyon when you're terribly afraid of heights, and Mt. Lemmon rides just because.

Family fixes everything. 
Calling home is the solution to virtually any problem.  Cheryl, Woody, and Ian  (aka ma, pa, and bro) are somehow always right.  Also, calling your grandparents may take 10 minutes out of your day, but it will make theirs.  You never know how long you have with the people you love.

Change your perspective.
I am a self-proclaimed stubborn person.  However, this year has taught me that it's okay to tame my iron-willed nature and accept the fact that I'm not always right.

Love what you do.
This year I've enjoyed workouts and triathlon in general because I've had some pretty fantastic company.  It's not hard to wake up to happy people with an insane tenacity to work hard to better themselves in one way or another.

Don't be afraid of change.
I was a part of some pretty big decisions this year, and even though taking the step to make big changes can be scary, it's worth it.  People may not understand your reasons for change at first, but if you have the best interest of everyone in mind, your intentions will reveal themselves eventually.  Being a leader doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to make everyone happy, but doing what's best for the group as a whole.

Show gratitude.
I couldn't have gotten through this year without the amazing ladies of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  Kappa has fully accepted me with all of my nerdy cycling clothes, goggle marks, and unfortunate tan lines.  My roommates didn't mind when I had two bikes and two extra wheelsets in our 4 person apartment that should realistically fit 1 person, and they always had flowers waiting on my desk after a big race. I'm so blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of diverse people who support me in everything I do. I'm so happy that I amma!
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I'm excited for the adventures to be had this summer in Europe, and for my senior year at Arizona.  Cheers!