Arrivederci, Vicenza!

I am off to my next destination of Florence!

Meet Mr. Bowtie

At the wedding reception two days ago, I met this interesting gentleman who spoke moderate English. He used to be a physician and now he's a dentist. He's also a violinist on the side. He has two kids, 12 and 13. They're young kids because he got married much later in life because he wanted to pursue his career(s) first.
From what I've been hearing, a set career path is very important for Italians. There's not much room to explore other interests other than as a hobby. They're very unfamiliar with my American freelancer lifestyle, which explains why I had a relatively difficult time getting a visa. The Italian embassy kept asking for an employment letter explaining my title, position and salary. They were very puzzled by the idea of having more than one employer at once.

In lieu of shopping

While the rest of the group has returned to the US, I've decided to extend my stay by 10 more days. I was planning on doing a little shopping in Vicenza this morning but although stores say they open at 9:30, it is now almost 10:30 and nothing is open. So in lieu of shopping, I've been exploring the town and stumbled upon this cute park where what seems to be high schoolers running laps. This must be a mandatory thing similar to when I went to school in China, and we had mandatory morning group exercises. No wonder you don't see that many obese Italians in Italy, despite how much carbs they consume.

Clubbing in Vicenza

We went to a club near the US naval base and partied until 5am! They played American music and it was a great vibe. Check out the cool coat check! And also they have an interesting way of settling your bill. Everyone gets a drink card coming in and every time you order something, the bartender stamps the associated amount on your card. At the end of the night, everyone settles their bill by having a cashier scan their card. Once you pay, you get an exit ticket to present to the bouncer. Now, if you lose your ticket, you have to pay the entire total of the ticket, which can add up to 150 euros!

Hell no!

Our Italian friend taught us this gesture for "Hell no!" Might come in handy when I start traveling alone tomorrow!

Bus in Verona

Look at how crowded this bus was in Verona! I guess Sundays aren't too quiet here.

Muffin the size of your face!

Found at Schleckers. The store said it would open at 3:30pm but by 4, it was still closed. I guess that's just the laid-back Italian way. I will try to buy this to take back to the states. Should last me for a month.

Good morning, ghost town

It's Sunday and after a night of heavy partying, we all woke up around noon! We're currently on our way to Verona and I was expecting to see a lot shoppers, brunchers, and strollers, even in the rain. To my surprise, none of the stored were open and Vicenza seemed like a deserted ghost town. Apparently stores may open at 3pm but Sunday is a mainly a day of rest and to spend time with familia.

10 course meal...continued

Don't forget the rum-infused cake and coffee with grappa!

10 course meal at reception

I don't know how Italians stay so thin if they eat like this. The entire reception took about 7 hours! Here it is in order (not including the finger foods during cocktail hour and some smaller dishes):

Holy toilet paper

I drank too much water in the morning which caused me to have to use the potty at the church right after the ceremony. I was led to the "backstage" area of this historical Vicenza church and I felt like I was in a scene of "Da Vinci Code." Then I pushed an unmarked door (or as I'd like to think, secret door) to reveal a simple, dingy bathroom with a squat toilet, just like the public bathrooms in China. I was so mesmerized by my surroundings and was honored to pee in the same toilet as other much more, holier people, I decided to keep a piece of the toilet paper. Strange? Maybe. But listen, how many times will I get to go a secret church bathroom in Italy again? Don't judge.

Oops forgot to upload the boxed wine in previous post

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

My make-shift Italian breakfast

It's the day of the wedding and I am short on time so I decided to grab a little somethin somethin at my favorite convenience store, Scheckler's. Look at what I found: croissants with cream filling (surprisingly delicious at 1.39 euros) and personal size boxed red wine (.99 euros). Perfecto!

Authentic eats

We went to an awesome, trendy hot spot called Julien's in Vicenza. We had (top to bottom): gnocchi with asiago cheese and shaved truffles, ravioli with buffalo cheese, and an undetermined pasta with a side of grilled zucchini and thinly sliced eggplant. At the very bottom is a real panino from the Venice train station with proscuitto, eggplant, cheese, and ultra-thin pressed buns.

Juice of amore

Nothing can make a group of young Americans more happy than cheap alcohol. There's a great chain store called Schleckers here in Italy where you can get all kinds of liquor for under $5 USD per bottle.

Train from Vicenza to Venice

Approx 1 hour and 8.50 euros roundtrip.

My first meal in Italy

I'm ashamed to be dining at McDonald's but it was the only restaurant open after 7:30pm. And hey, look at this Italianized hamburger with mozzarella and herbed bread!

Final destination of Vicenza. What an adventure!

I took the bus to the train and then a cab to find this beautifully quaint hotel called Albergo due Mori in the town of Vicenza. Here's a view from my hotel room balcony (way better than the Venetian in Vegas right?). Temperature is a perfect 65 degrees.

Venice...finally!

After numerous delays I have finally made it to Venice! Btw, my flight from Munich to here served chocolate mousse! I'm already in love. Now I am traveling like a local and taking the bus to the train station to get to my hotel in Vicenza. Looking forward to meeting up with the rest of the group and celebrate our arrival with some vino!