Oh, hello there! Today we are officially leaving the country of Italy and I must say it is a little bittersweet. It hit me the past day or so that I have been calling this country home for almost a month, but it's time to move on to other places in Europe now. 

At our last check in I had made the switch in travel companions and Gentry and I were getting ready to take on Roma. I'm happy to report that we did indeed take on Roma and survived doing so. Monday we woke up ready to take on the city one last time (for me) and for the first time (for him) and we did just that. 

We selfied with the colosseum:

and of course I took him to see the Pantheon- did you think I wouldn't?

We had obscene amounts of gelato, canolis and pizza. Because that's precisely what we do. Eat. All the time. It's a hobby regardless of where we are. Food game strong. 

We also mozied down to Vatican City and said hello to the Pope. All in all, I would say Rome was a success for both groups I stayed there with. Remember the feeling I talked about in Florence about mastering a city? I can officially say the same about Rome. Take that, Italy!

Monday afternoon we caught a train to Bologna and stayed the evening there just as a stopping point for the next day's adventures. I must say though, I thoroughly enjoyed Bologna and will absolutely go back there again. It was nice and quiet after having having been in Rome around all the tourists and city hustle. It was a nice change of scenery. Our host, Clara, was absolutely delightful as well. 

We got in, showered and then headed out to dinner at this fabulous little restaurant we found tucked in a tiny piazza. We had the most amazing swordfish, tortellini alla Bolognese, mozzarella and tiramisu imaginable. An excellent find as far as food goes. 👌🏼

Then to make the city even better, I rolled over the next morning and woke up to this outside the window right next to my bed. I didn't even have to move an inch.

That was a wonderful way to start the day. I'm glad I had that moment of zen because things got a little sweaty, literally, after that. Our train left for Modena at 8:52, so as we are making our way to the train station we stopped for crepes, because, well, crepes.. This little stop took a pinch longer than expected, so next thing I know we are triple time booking it to the train station with crepes in tow. 

We buy our tickets and step out to find the platform which was "1 ovest"- what does ovest even mean? I'll tell you what ovest means- ovest is a specifically designed platform set aside from all the others and only runs the trains that silly Americans who stop for crepes have to catch so that everyone else in the train station can watch them run like fools to catch it. That's what ovest means. 

So we set foot on our train at 8:51, with 1 minute to spare and find our seats only to realize that in the midst of our race to catch it, they announced a 15 minute delay. So that happened- then I ate my crepe and the world was just again. 

So to preface this next part, I have to give some back story- Gentry packed way too much. He admittedly owns this issue as well, so I'm not throwing him under the bus in any way. This has been a constant struggle since he got off the plane. So once we got off the train in Modena Tuesday morning, he sat down with his pack still on his back while we were calculating our next move. So we go to head out and he can't move. He's stuck turtle-ing with his pack on because he can't get up. Like a true friend I laughed and took pictures while he worked through this struggle.

Here is the progression of Gentry attempting to stand up with his pack already on. 

I'm sitting on the train trying to type this post while we are en route to Monte Carlo and I can't even type about this incident without laughing so hard that I start crying again. It's taken me more time to write this one damn paragraph than it has to write then entire bit before it. The laugh-cry struggle is so real right now. It hurts. The laugh pain really, truly hurts. 

Oh man. That's some good stuff right there. 😂😂😂

So after he became upright again and we dried all of our laughter tears, we set out to check out some Ferraris. This was an absolute delight. When I say that these cars are sex on wheels- I kid you not. They are so beautiful and we learned all about Enzo Ferrari and how the brand itself got started. It was a wonderful time. We visited two towns to learn about it all and check out cars- Modena and Maranello. 

This one is my favorite, hands down:

It was a great day and it was a lot of fun to see where such a powerful and dynamic force in Formula 1 started and the principles it is founded on. I officially approve these two attractions for other's travels. 

We arrived in Milan that evening, with no train struggles this time. I do have to take a moment to brag about how well we are navigating the Metros, buses and trains in all of these cities. We are totally killin' it. Like, we're pretty much locals. Dream team right here, folks. We're here for all your travel navigational needs.

Milan was fantastical. I think I liked it so much because it was just like any other major city, but it had bits of old Italian charm sprinkled into it, like our apartment.

We stayed in the dead center of the city, but you never would have known it once you walked through the hobbit door off the street to get to it. But for real though.. hobbit door-

Speaking of all things hobbits, it was requested that I tell the blog world about our hobbit sheets that weren't even wide enough to cover the width of the bed. So, that happened. I've never felt more like a giant than in this little hobbit village we entered. I did love it though, so I'll deal with the hobbit tendencies. 

We got bikes one day in Milan. 

We didn't injure ourselves or anyone else with riding them through some major traffic and busy streets, so I am calling it the biggest success of the trip so far. I'm thinking of selling Chauncey when I get home and just getting a bike for all of my travels needs. Yeah? 

We saw and did so much in Milan. Here's a taste-

The Duomo- which happens to be the largest one in all of italy.

The Urban Center which is home to all the classics like Prada, Armani, Versace and of course mother's all time favorite- Swarovski. This is also the place where I realized while trying to buy gelato that I had left my wallet in the bathroom at the place we had lunch. Thus began a bike race back across town retrieve it. Only find the wallet was still there, but all my cash was gone. That was a dark time in the day so we aren't going to reopen that wound. MOVING ON. 

Castello Sforzesco which was home to the lords of Milan way back in the day, but then became an army barracks and served as the focal point of the wall that used to surround the entire city. It was the central point of the fortress that protected the city. 

This is turning into a way longer post than I had anticipated. Stick with me folks. Grab a Capri Sun and some Pringles. Or something stronger, depending on where you're at mentally. No judgmeent zone here. None at all. We're getting close to the end. You can make it. I promise. 7th inning strecth right now. 

Okay, stretch over. Pull yourself together- we're going to get through this post. I applaud your commitment if you've made it this far though. 

We went in search of tacos last night because I realized it has been almost a month since I've had one and you guys know I'm craving it. We found this bomb place and were so excited about it. We tracked thirty minutes across town to it and turns out that the taco bar is actually in a different location. Talk about disappointment. That's alright though, we made friends with the chef and turns out he's an American named Ben from LA. Who would have thought. Thanks for the great sandwich that was the size of my face though- you's da best. 

The Expo, better known as the World's Fair, is in Milan right now- we didn't make it out to it, but I did show some Expo love by buying a few postcards and taking this picture.

Last, but certainly not least- Gentry tried grappa for the first time. If you don't know what grappa is, let me enlighten you. It's a digestivo that Italians drink at the end of an evening meal. It's basically like italian moonshine if I had to compare it to something. I'm talking the real moonshine, not that cherry or cinnamon flavored business. So typically when people have grappa for the first time, they make what has been termed a grappa face and you better believe I documented his grappa face. Oh, did I ever. 

I do have to say that he took it like a champ. That's some strong business and he didn't throw it up, so that's always a plus. Proud of you, yo. You're officially adopted into the inner circle of Italy. Congratulations!

Alright, I promise that is all for now. I know you guys are tired, as I am also. That was a long post. I have a few other things to throw into the blog world about the past few days, but I will do a shorter post that icludes those things when we get into Nice on Friday. 

Let me go ride this train into Monte Carlo and party with the rich and famous for a while. I'll be back in a timely fashion to let you all know how it goes. I swear it to ya. I do, I do. If I get famous while I'm there I will absolutely forget all of the little people and never look back. Hate to break it you all. 

Many jokes. 

I can't wait to lay on the beach and gawk at the yachts in Monte Carlo. 

Stay gorgeous, all. 💚