One gelato, two gelato, three gelato, four....

The question is, how many gelatos is it acceptable to have in one week... in a day? Also, what makes one gellateria better than another and what is truly the best flavor of italian gelato????  I have decided it is my quest to figure this out.  Someone has to, right?!

But seriously, gelato is everywhere.  And it is dang good.  Even though Merano has so much influence from Germany and Austria- their gelato is on point.  I suppose maybe its not too hard to mess up ice cream or maybe I am biased and like every kind of ice cream there is... but this stuff is gooooood.  The flavors are so interesting too.  It is actually a thing that nutella and hazelnuts are all over the place here.  Gelato, chocolate bars, croissants, cakes.. are all very common to have hazelnuts.  So far, this is my favorite flavor partly because its not so common in America and also its just really good.  Next post maybe I will talk a little about Italian coffee.  Ok enough about food and more about what I have been up to the past week.

So today is like literally treacherous weather outside.  On my walk home in the pouring rain and wind (as I was laughing to myself at my circumstances and feeling a little nostalgic of Ireland), I wanted nothing more than to sit inside with a huge mug of steaming hot chocolate, a baked good, and write a blog post.  So here I am, sipping my hot chocolate, hoping that the weather is not so treacherous when I have to go outside again in a few hours [insert crying emoji].

This past week has been pretty low key with a few random excursions and events that are worth sharing.  Merano is a city that is famous for its spas- meaning really fancy hotels with the extreme pampering opportunities, so spa treatments like massages, skin treatments, nail treatments, and also things like fitness programs, thermal baths, pools and saunas.  The most famous in Merano is called the Terme.  So I decided to take advantage of this beautiful facility that is only ten minutes away from the apartment to take one of the fitness classes as a sort of free trial.  Did I mention that most of the tourists here are retirees? Yes, well I went to this Pilates class (that was in Italian mind you) and I was definitely the only person under at least 50 years old.  I still had a lot of fun and the instructor was kind enough to include some english for me- and I think some of the other participants kinda liked having a younger person there.  They even invited me to the pool after the lesson! Sadly I had other obligations, but told them maybe next time.

This weekend was a girls weekend- Emanuele was away for work so the three of us (Barbara, Beatrice and I) planned a day trip to a neighboring city called Bolzano which is basically a larger version of Merano.  Can I just say that I LOVE train travel? No motion sickness like with busses, and no long lines like the airport.  The landscape is incredible here as well so train travel is definitely the best way to go to see the surroundings and get where you are going quickly.  Mostly we just walked the streets, did some shopping and got gelato of course.  But we did go to an archaeology museum with one of the oldest mummys in the world-  I forgot how fascinating ancient history is so this was really fun for me to learn about.  The mummy or "ice man" is called Otzi-  He was found in the Otzal Alps in South Tyrol in 1991 by some recreational hikers who took some pictures and informed an archaeologist, who returned to the site about a week later to discover more about the body.  The mummy is the first most well preserved find of a human that is at least 5,000 years old, and alongside his body were many well preserved artifacts that helped to identify when he was living.  So he actually died before Stonehenge was built to give a point of reference-  this guy is really old!  It was very cool to have something SO OLD be right in front of me.

My other recent adventures consist of walking around the many paths in Merano and going up to a nearby village to hike around to a castle.  The rest of my free time is usually spent walking or sitting along the river, walking along the streets and looking at shops, trying a new place for coffee or gelato, reading, writing, or planning excursions or weekend trips. The other "down time" that I have with Beatrice is spent coloring, painting, playing barbies, baby dolls, restaurant, library.. you name it, this girl likes to play.  Otherwise we are going to and from school and ballet, working on homework or practicing English, and eating meals together.

A friend told me this summer, "Maybe the Lord knew you needed a period of rest and rejuvenation".  And I think she is right- of course the Lord knows everything but somehow His plan is working just how it needs to in this time in my life.  Unexpected or not, it has been good for me to work on trusting in whatever the future holds and that the timing will be good and right.  This time has forced me to do some soul searching and lots of thinking because I spend so much time alone, so in that respect it has been good to figure out what kind of a person I am/want to be when nobody else is influencing my decisions.  This is probably more than you care to know so anyways thanks for being interested in the happenings here in Merano :)

Here are some of my moms pictures from her short stay in Merano:

And here are some randoms of around Merano:

City streets

Shameless selfie because #solotravel

Fall is coming here too!

Part of my daily walk to and from school

Classic italian breakfast: Cappuccino and croissant

The pools at the Terme

New Routines

Hello all!

[I took this from my bedroom window...I know, right?]

So today marks a week in Merano.  Can't believe its already been a week! It has been a week of discovering many of the things that Merano has to offer including: the beauty of the landscape and panoramic views, the delicious regional foods, the history and mix of German and Italian culture, and of course learning the routines of the house and more about each member of the family I am living with.

When my mom and I arrived last weekend we were a little tired from traveling and not sure what to say or do as first meetings can sometimes be awkward.  We were both very excited to get here though and finally meet the family I have been only communicating with via email, WhatsApp, and occasionally FaceTime.  Barbara had already planned for us to rest a little bit and then they had made a reservation at a nice pizzeria for the 5 of us.  It was such a great introduction to Merano and the family- also really great pizza [insert emoji with tongue out].  My mom's last day here, we wandered the city in the morning and then in the afternoon we all went up to a popular walk/hike that overlooks the city.  The sun was shining, our bellies were full of delicious food, we were with great company and a great view- it is a day that I will smile at in the future.

Saying goodbye to my mom was not so fun.  She was making her way back to the U.S. alone - which can be intimidating in a country where you don't speak the language - and I was about to stay with a family that I just met for three months.  (She also had a few travel issues-canceled flights and such- which was no fun for her).  Although three months is relatively not that long, after spending practically every minute with someone for 7 days straight and then not at all for awhile is weird and sad.  All that to say, I've missed my mom this week.

On the other hand, I have enjoyed beginning to find a routine here and figure out the bus system (YAY!) and be able to navigate through the city to find things I need or want.  My main duties as an au pair are to clean around the house and do some shopping while Beatrice is at school, pick her up from school and make lunch for the both of us, and then play or do an activity until mom gets home.  The upcoming weeks will be a little different with Beatrice starting ballet lessons and me starting Italian lessons (!).  This first weekend we have all been together has been very low key.  It is so interesting to observe and be a part of a true Italian family with all their routines and things they like to do in their free time.  Namely, on Saturday night they typically eat out and on Sunday there is usually some outing or activity where lunch is eaten out of the house and they are usually back before dinner.

So for this weekend, we went to a restaurant/brewhaus with typical foods from this region which is the South Tyrol region.  There are a lot of influences from Germany here, about 70% of the population is German and the rest are Italian.  So with that, some of the cuisine is actually German - so for example I had pork schnitzel and potatoes with cranberries.  I am getting a taste of combined cultures which is kinda fun.  The German influence is also evident in many of the names of towns or cities in the region.  Merano is the Italian name for the city but Meran is the German name.  On many of the road signs you will see Merano/Meran to indicate the city.  Many people have also started talking to me in German because I am blond, which I guess is a compliment that they don't automatically speak to me in English?

A few things that I have found noteworthy about Merano and Italy:
~It is a very clean city, not much dog poop to be found, although there are many dogs.
~It is actually pretty touristy- mainly for middle aged and older people, and some families- the region is famous for its spas and wine.
~Many of the hills are covered in grapevines and apples [instead of sheep dotting the hills like in Ireland :)].
~It actually will get decently cold in November- not quite like Minnesota- but colder than I imagined I suppose.
~Lastly, I just love observing normal life for the people here.  Although there are cultural and language differences, I am constantly reminded that we are all humans on this earth and pretty much do the same things just with a few different twists.  [insightful thought for the day]

This is a little long I suppose, but thanks for reading again.  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to explore and learn on this great big earth! So thanks to all of you for being interested in my adventures.

Until next time, arrivederci!

Fresh grape juice, yum!

Photocreds: Mom :)

Part of Merano's main drag

From today's outing~Dad and daughter

One whirlwind of a week

Time seems to be going too fast these days.  Maybe I am just realizing the concept of time because I am older, or maybe life is just going alright lately and I don't want the good parts to go by so fast.

I have arrived in Merano and the first few days here are like something out of a dream.  I can post pictures, but really they don't do this city justice.  Its the most beautiful place I will have had the opportunity to live in thus far in my 22 years of life.  I am excited to watch the seasons turn and see the unique variety of landscape - the river that cuts through the city, the mountains, the vineyards, and green grass and trees - that surrounds me every day.

The family I am staying with has been so thoughtful and gracious to our needs and brought my mom and I to a few different fun places around the city to get a good feel for it. Barbara and Emanuele both work for a kind of nutritional detox company where many wealthy people come to stay for a week or so and get a detox of sorts. Its very interesting and of course I LOVE that they love and are interested in food and health and all that.  Beatrice (or Bea-treet-cha in Italian), is a darling, sweet girl that is 8 years old. I am looking forward to spending time with her and the whole family in the coming weeks.

More to come on Merano later, but maybe you are curious about what my mom and I have been up to in the past week? Well, if you are reading this I suppose that means you are interested anyways so here I go:
Our first "stop" was Frankfurt, Germany.  We actually had an 8 hour layover there that happened to be in the morning/afternoon, so we went into the city to just explore, shop, and have a meal.  Its a very lovely city with some nice churches, and shopping streets and a river like most European cities.

Our real first stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia.   It is on the southern coast of Croatia on the edge of the Adriatic Sea.  Whew! How to even describe this place? We had really great weather our whole trip, although it was like incredibly hot in Croatia I suppose it fit the atmosphere.  The whole time we were there, my mom and I kept saying it reminded us of other places we've been or seen in pictures.  It was a very long list that included: Spain, Prague, Rome, Greece, and Russia.  There was a little bit of mediterranean, and a little European and eastern European.  I said Rome because it is so old and many of the structures of the city are a brownish/tan stone.

Highlights of Dubrovnik:

• The view from our apartment was incredible.  Like something out of a movie.  We could see the Island Lokrum and also the Old Town of Dubrovnik from where we were staying.  (We did climb about 230 steps to get up there everyday but the view was worth it)
• We went kayaking and swimming in the Adriatic Sea.  The kayak tour brought us to some very unique sea caves that had cool rocks and very clear water. Most of the beaches there were also rock beaches and not sand beaches which was very interesting to us. I also witnessed my first nude beach.... {insert embarrassed emoji} something I will not forget! Anyways, the day was beautiful, the water was cold and clear ~~ it will remain a happy day in my mind.
• The old town has all these winding little back alleys where it is very easy to just wander and get a little lost in - which is exactly what we did.  So of course we stumbled upon the sweetest old Croatian couple who could hardly speak English but they were selling handmade lace and embroidery items like table clothes, table runners etc. They were so excited to talk to us and try to tell us about their handiwork with charades and broken English.  It was a beautiful thing!

An afternoon in Frankfurt, Germany

LOL. A special {accidental} shot of me and this man [insert crying/laughing emoji]

The view from our apartment (and my beautiful mama)

Mom and I at the Adriatic Sea

Next was Zagreb and the Plitvice National Park:

• Zagreb is further north in Croatia and the Plitvice lakes are about 2 hours away from Zagreb so we took a day trip there.  I can't really even try to describe the national park, so I will only put a few pictures of it.  But it was one of the most well  preserved naturally beautiful places I have seen.  It is not very often that you see something so beautiful that has remained undisturbed by human hands for many many years.  We walked all day around 16 different lakes with thousands of waterfalls and what we saw was only 2% of the entire national park.  I can't even imagine how big it must be! 

Mom and I hanging out in Zagreb

Our guide at Plitvice National Park

Plitvice National Park

From Croatia, we traveled to Salzburg, Austria to see the city for one day. My favorite parts of Salzburg were:

• Going to the Hohensalzburg Fortress- The views from the top were ah-maze-ing and it was interesting to learn more about the history of the fortress and the city.  
• Mirabell Gardens: This was one of the places that the Sound of Music was supposedly filmed and it was beautiful! I think the combination of the fountains, colorful flowers and plants and the view with the fortress in the background was a perfect combo for me to include it in my highlights. It was also a perfect day for sightseeing- not to hot and not too cold.
• I would have to say the last highlight I will talk about here is from a very pleasant cafe and we of course had to try apple strudel from Austria.  It was delicioso.  Another thing to note is that the coffee in Europe is not like in America.  Espresso comes in this tiny little mug and people drink it almost in one gulp.  I have begun to really like cappuccinos because they are not so strong and I can take at least a few sips to drink it and can savor it a bit more ;) I already know I might be missing those pumpkin spice lattes from America once October rolls around. But for now, cappuccinos for me!

Salzburg!

This is already pretty long so I will cut it off here.  Tomorrow I will tackle the Italian bus system alone to take little Beatrice home from school! Wish me luck!