Vicenza

  So since I just got back from my second visit to Vicenza which will be my new home in about a month and a half let me give some insight on what I'm working with :) The town is very nice, I would equate it with a mixture of Atlanta and Nashville combined shopping wise. You have to keep in mind that it's Europe and they are always a step ahead fashion wise and since shopping is one of my favorite things that's what I feel I need to equate it with. When I first went over there I found out that the young guys really love the skinny jeans and when I mean skinny I am talking calf and thigh sucking. And it's humorous because the girls wear the same pants as the guys. They also love these pants in florescent colors and sagging down off their butt. Anyways back to the town, the size is about the same as Nashville. Dave and I have really stayed over near the army base until this last time we ventured a little farther because we have our own car now (Ooh) ;) We were actually surprised at how much more the town extended out and how much we still lacked in seeing.
  The last time I was there I went out quite a bit to the market which is downtown but I took a taxi, which I would add is very expensive. Dave and I stayed in a hotel that was off the main road a bit so taking the bus wasn't an option. This time we stayed on post, which if given the chance I would highly recommend because European hotel rooms are very small and very odd. So since we stayed on post and there was a bus stop right outside I decided to learn the bus system. And learning I did. I have taken the bus at this point with Dave only once, the last time I was there and I don't have a good memory. I would also like to add I get pretty nervous when doing things on my own. So I got my bus ticket at the hotel and had Dave walk me to the walk-in gate, give me a kiss good-bye and I left for my adventure to the Tuesday market in downtown Vicenza. I was pretty excited because for some reason I have this picture in my mind that I have to be this European market going lady who gets fresh fruits and vegetables every week. Who knows why. Anyways, I waited for the bus, it finally came and I got on and validated my ticket.I make it downtown and I walk through the market, the tuesday one is small, just a few venders. I spend a couple of hours downtown and finally decide to head back. When I do I can't remember which bus stop I need to wait at to make it back to the base. So I figure I will go to the one that I am let off at, thinking that if it got me downtown it surely will get me back. That was a horrible decision. I get on the bus and after about forty-five minutes I arrive back at the base. The bus took the whole route. If I had walked down to a bus stop fifty feet down the street I would have made it back to the base in ten minutes...Lesson learned!
  Vicenza has a lot to offer, like gelato. I love gelato, I hate to admit that I am lactose intolerant. The two do not go well together but I do break down and eat gelato once in awhile. My favorite is Kinder chocolate gelato. You would think that gelato would be only a summer thing but it's not. The Italians eat this frozen delight even when it's just above freezing. I am ok with that! My other favorite thing about Italy is a couple of their chosen alcoholic beverages. One that I fell in love with my first trip is called a Spritz, it is an orange drink made with sprite, club soda (I believe) and some orange liquor that I cannot remember the name but my fiancé can tell you but it kind of tastes like gin. It is yummy and dangerous because you can keep drinking them until 10 are gone. My other favorite that's good for winter and one of his friends showed us is called St. Christopher's and it is a wine that you warm up on the stove (or we throw into mugs in the microwave) and top with whipped cream. I call it adult hot chocolate! I am not sure if either are available in the United States but rest assured when we move back I will be looking and will share!
  With any new place there comes dislikes. I will like my new home for many things. I try to look at each situation for it's positives. I have been given a gift that many will never get the chance to see. So when I say this I don't want to sound like a downer. I will miss my home town so much. I have never lived anywhere but Clarksville and to move so far away from my family it will be a huge difference. I am being thrown into a place that when I go out into the town people don't understand my thick southern accent much less a lick of english and look at me like I am crazy. (Which is fine because I look at them like they are crazy too) I thank god for skype every day that I am over there. And when I am here and I am away from my fiancé I am extremely thankful for it because it is the glue that holds us together. But mainly I cannot wait to see where this new adventure takes us! Vicenza be good to me and my husband to be.

the Spritz 

St. Christophers