Olympics 2012

I can't believe we didn't get tickets to any of the Olympic events:( We are so close to the venue this year that the Olympic spirit is definitely in the air! In June we missed the Olympic torch running through Aberdeen and I haven't been able to forget what a momentous occasion we missed while we were in Barcelona.  So as a tribute to my inner athlete, I agreed to participate in a ropes course last weekend (which was also part of a going away party for Caitlin).  This course had everything, zip lining, tight rope walking, tarzan swinging, you name it!  Needless to say, this is not a graceful sport. I had to leave my "grace" at the door. Check.

Luckily, I've done zip lining before because that was the easy part! As you can see in the pictures, this was no easy feat but it was so much fun! Of course the day would not be complete without a night of binge drinking to consume all those burned calories! In the short time I've been here, I've already had to say bye to 3 people and a few more in our group will be leaving this month as well.   Sad to see new friends leave, but I wish them the best of luck in their next post!

The 3 month itch...

Its been 3 months, 2 weeks and 5 days since we landed in the Deen. Time has definitely flown by. So what do I have to show for it?

Well, let's see.

1. I've learned its customary (and borderline rude) not to offer the handyman or lawnmower guy tea/coffee + biscuits when they come to your house;
2. 2 miles IS walking distance;
3. I can sustain new friendships after the age of 30;
4. Eating haggis is a hard limit for me; and
5. I've visited 7 cities and 3 countries so far.

I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting but it will be interesting to see how my list changes as time passes.  Speaking of changes, after the initial acceptance that the food here would be different, my cravings are beginning to surface. And it's funny how I'm craving foods that I haven't even eaten since childhood.  Lately when we go to international markets or the "American" food section of the grocery store, I find myself searching for:

1. Macaroni & Cheese;
2. Fruit roll ups;
3. Now'n'Laters;
4. Caramel chews;
5. Diet Dr. Pepper (okay this is not an oldie, but its a goodie)

That's right, the fat kid in me is craving nothing but junk food! Thankfully my mom and sister are coming next week just in time to curb my top 3 cravings:) I'm excited to show them the city I'm completely in love with and give them a tour of the Highlands.  The agenda includes the highly anticipated Harry Potter train tour. All aboard!

The Floating City

We spent the second part of our 4th of July weekend in Venice.  We took the train from Milan (I was sad I didn't get to spend any time there, next time!)  I was more than happy to return to this city and excited for Ram's first impression.  While Venice was very much packed with tourists, in contrast to quiet little Bellagio, we welcomed the new energy.

We stayed near the San Marco Square where we walked to the Bascilica and Rialto Bridge.  We also took the cheesy gondola ride around the city and saw Casanova's house, amongst others.  The architecture in the city is just so beautiful. We spent our evenings in the Square listening to live orchestrated music surrounded by pieces of history. Ram, ever the Beatles fan, even got the orchestra to play "Yesterday." I knew they wouldn't know any Erasure but I didn't want to mess with the classical music vibe (ahem, Ram).

The Italians really do have it all: great food, music, coffee, dessert & not to mention the designers.  I would definitely be broke and fat if I ever lived there, but it would be totally worth it!

Surprisingly, we managed to avoid the temptation of the casino there. I'm not sure how much longer we will last (ha ha).  Our biannual trip to Vegas would normally be in the works by now. Of course there's no substitute for Vegas, but we just might have to check out the Wynn in Macau to get our fix! (tick, tock, tick tock)

Bellagio on Lake Como

Last year, if someone told me I would be spending the 4th of July abroad, I would have laughed.  Although last year Ram and I fell asleep before the fireworks started, but I digress....

This year we spent the 4th with a bang in Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy.  We fell in love with this small town, population 3,000 (sans George Clooney, more on that later).   With the sun beating down on us, our first stop was for gelato, and boy was it tasty. Thereafter, our carb-o-cide binge began (starving myself before this trip was an excellent idea). Day in and day out we had pasta, rissotto, and pizza.  Of course the meal would not be complete without dessert and wine.

Chef Luigi

We also took a cooking class with Chef Luigi at Salice Blu.  Chef Luigi gained experience at a michelin rated restaurant which he left in 2005 to return to Bellagio to take over his family restaurant.  At the age of 28 he's received many notable mentions for his creative cooking style. So it was a no brainer that we wanted to take his cooking class.  The first thing we did upon arrival at the restaurant was go to the Chef's private garden around the corner.  We picked our fresh herbs for our pasta: thyme, parsley, and even lavender.  The class had 12 people so we were divided into 3 work stations.  Each station made a different flavor of pasta spinach, saffron yellow (ours), and beet root. Later we  combined the flavors to make tricolor pasta (Ram's favorite) which mirrored the colors of the Italian flag.  In addition, we made fresh gnocchi and chocolate souffles for dessert.  It took about an hour for Chef Luigi to get the pasta dough the right thickness and consistency after we rolled it as thin as we could with rolling pins.  I admired his patience while feeding the machine one foot of dough at a time.  As much as I liked the final product, I don't see myself going through all that effort for house guests anytime soon but I have the recipes just in case;) Here's a preview:

The tricolor pasta

The Final Product

 We capped our last night in Bellagio with a boat tour around Lake Como.  The Lake is 1200 feet deep, making it the deepest lake in Europe. The Lake is in the shape of an upside down "Y" and Bellagio is located at the fork, just before it splits.  We cruised by all the neighboring cities and the gorgeous villas.  It is now my mission to one day own a villa on Lake Como, hopefully in the city of Laglio where I can be neighbors with Clooney.  Unfortunately, there were no Clooney sightings on this trip:( Our stay in Lake Como was way too short, and I can't wait to go back to experience some of the other larger cities on the lake!

LOVE