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Finally made it!!

For those of you who may remember my posts from a couple of months ago....

Finally made it to Cesena. Whew!! Got my first taste of driving right of the plane in Bologna. Wasn't all that bad really on the highway.Tried my town driving skills earlier today around Cesena and Calabrina.Little more intimidating cause of narrow roads and pedetrians.

Start our house and school search tomorrow. Should be interesting.

The Italians seem to be very understanding and patient with the way we mangle their language.

Things we have learned in the three days we've been here.

Stop signs really mean yield and then only if something is right in front of you,gelato is good,mattress's are hard,lots of roundabouts,order salami picante if you want anything like pepperoni pizza otherwise you get a pizza with peppers on it, don't connect in Paris,if you order water with ice you may get a bottle of mineral water in a bucket of ice,gelato is good,complimentary hotel breakfast is a feast(at least where I'm at),don't be around in traffic when a school lets out,proscuitto is good,there are at least 3 different types of plugs for appliances,you can park anywhere you need to to go to the Gelatoria,during afternoon hours about the only thing open is the Gelatoria and gelato is good.

Gonna learn how to do laundry and fill up the gas tank tomorrow. Should be fun.

Posted by
676 posts

Ron, Keep us updated on your adventures! THis was hilarious! Try limone gelato-it's excellent!

Posted by
2001 posts

Ron, why don't connect via Paris? I am trying that in June for the first time-I've always done Amsterdam before.

Posted by
791 posts

Thanks for the responses.

Tried the limone, it is good! Also like the creme and chocolato, didn't care too much for the caffe.

The Paris connection was awful with Delta.It's a spearhead shaped terminal that is huge, landed with less than an hour to catch the Air France connection on one side of the terminal and AF is on the other side, had to go through immigration to show passports and that was packed (but did move faster than I would've thought)no trams or other transportation we could see, had to run around the whole thing, do a full security check at AF gate and just barely made it before they shut the door to the plane. Maybe other airlines would be better but others have told me also to avoid Paris. Amsterdam in fact was recommened to me for the next time I travel.

Started looking for a place to live today. I was actually surprised by the sizes of the places we looked at for the money they wanted. I was expecting very expensive and small but for the most part got huge and cheap. Maybe things are just cheaper in this region.

Things I've learned today.
Italians like puffy shiny coats. Male/ female, young/old they all wear 'em. Here the deisel pumps are black and the benzina pumps are green.You decide where you want your kids to go to school...it's not contrlled by the area you live in like the states.I found Kinder Eggs.

Posted by
70 posts

Great post, thanks for sharing, and keep us updated!

Posted by
32353 posts

ron,

Glad to hear you're doing well. What a great opportunity!

Keep us posted!

Posted by
255 posts

Limone.....good, fragola (strawberry) very good, chocolato excellent. Put them all together is a gelato misto.....heaven on earth!

Posted by
10 posts

Love your stories. Keep your great attitude and keep posting updates. We're going to Italy in May so I'm interested in learning from your adventures!

Posted by
922 posts

If you like a bit of heat, try a cioccolato con pepperoncini gelato if you get the chance.

Posted by
646 posts

Ron, Keep the stories coming. Love them. Good Luck.

Posted by
791 posts

Tried the fragola gelato tonight....awesome! Also tried Grappa...not so awesome. Limoncello is pretty good after a meal.Espresso...wow!! Haven't had a proper meal yet....can't see how the Italians can eat so much and stay so skinney. Also foud a great pizzaria last night.My son said he won't be able to eat pizza in the States again.Both my kids have been ruint on pizza and ice cream back home.

Things I've learned: There's profolactic vending machines on the sidewalks,diet coke is coke light,McDonalds gives you a little wooden pitchfork to stab your nuggets with,don't point to the value meal signs and just say a number and the name of the food or you may end up with six nugget meals like we did (make sure you say numero ----,no urinals in the mens room, in fact bathroom stalls are completly enclosed from what I've seen so far,strozzapreti is good, piadina is good and we made our first Italian friend today in the cafe across the street.

Posted by
2001 posts

Ron, try grappa in your espresso with lots of sugar. It is called caffe correto and I really like it. It is great for a quick pick me up! The first time I tried grappa, I thought it was jet fuel, but it does grow on you.

Posted by
255 posts

So glad you liked the fragola gelato. It is my DH's personal favorite. And yes, limoncello is very good and grappa.....not so much. Find somewhere to order caprese salad and make sure they put plenty of basil on it......yum-o. Also look for Bucatini all'Amatriciana. One of the best spaghetti dishes we had in Rome. And another thing we learned is that Italians don't drink cappucino after lunch but espreso is okay.

Posted by
9436 posts

Love your thread and updates Ron! Keep 'em coming :)

Yes, Pizza is never the same again after Italy...except in NYC.