Christmas Happiness!

The time passed very slowly on the 17th of December as I sat in class… Macroeconomics is never a very exciting two hours but this time was rather excruciating .

That’s it, I can’t do it anymore, I am skipping my audit class! I hightailed it out of SAIS and ran down the street to the little hotel near the end of Via San Vitale and right up to room 107 where the door opened for me and I crashed into the arms of my dad. Shortly thereafter I lost myself in the familiar hug of my mom. They were simply thrilled to see me-

We went out for cappuccino at Guilio’s (the cafe in school) so they could meet my classmates and understand what they've been missing with respect to coffee made outside this lovely boot. We then mosied over to check out my apartment, where we enjoyed wine and Mom and Dad each got to indulge in their first taste of Italian pizza- some of Bologna’s finest from Pizzeria Gianni’s. Four cheese for the lady and sausage, olive, and mushroom for the old man. I stepped out of my comfort zone and found that Italians can even make a pizza that sounds awful, ie. anchovy and capers, delicious. Dad was in my apartment for a total of five minutes before he found a way to fix something electrical my roomies and I had been struggling with for months... sometimes you just need a Dad. We ended the evening typically by making our way through the better part of a bottle of scotch.

The next day they were off to Venice to ride gondolas and eat Gelato. (I got to go to class). They decided to miss their train and didn’t get back to Bologna until about 3am… placing their daughter strategically on the other side of the phone from where she had been all her life, that is waiting for the call that they were home. “We forgot the cell phone” ‘That’s no excuse!’ aaah… parents. At least they had a wonderful time!

Friday morning… okay afternoon (being that we all had a rather late night before) we hopped upon a Eurostar and a few hours later stepped off in Rome. We spent the rest of the day walking about the city, throwing coins in Trevi fountain, visiting the bone sculptures of the Capuchin Monks (this even managed to creeped out Mom and me so you must know this is rather exceptional), ate gelato, wandered in churches, and eventually found our way into a wonderful tiny trattoria operated by a couple who single handedly cooked and served everything. Mom found the great pleasure that comes with eating lasagna prepared with hand- made fresh pasta.

The next day we entered another country and learned that the Sistine Chapel is well worth the hype. Vibrant colors engulf your eyes on all sides and make you think Michelangelo finished his frescos only a few years ago. Bible stories are depicted and his enemies and friends are immortalized appropriately on his depictions of heaven and hell. We learned that he was a sculptur and had never completed a painting when he was commissioned to create this masterpiece. You could have fooled me.

After our extensive Vatican tour (given by a guide who found herself rather witty), we got to pass the Swiss guard and go on a special tour of the excavations underneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Led by a spunky Italian who works for the Vatican, we were privileged to view the original tomb of the churches namesake and even the resting place of his bones.

The only truly unfortunate part of this trip was that Mom found herself under the effect of a rather nasty cold. She was a real trooper but after two tours, we took her back to the hotel so she could sleep. Dad and I went to one of the national museums and then enjoyed wine underneath the moonlight at a cafe before the Colosseum. That evening we were so lucky to find the most amazing Trattoria just around the corner from our hotel (which was near the train station, a neighborhood described by AAA as “unwholesome”). Situated between many Asian eateries, we feasted on the most incredible homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta that measured about seven inches on each side. Our meat dishes were complimented by artichokes and sautéed greens, all covered in wonderful olive oil. We got mom pasta carbonara to go. Our “date night” ended in the hotel lobby with scotch.

The next day we toured the Colosseum and spent the afternoon climbing on ancient ruins. Dad wss tickled to be in a real vomitorium.

After hopping down to the south side of the city to see Rome’s pyramid, I introduced my parents to Ciao, a self service restaurant in train stations with great food you can customize and they introduced themselves to Buffalo mozzarella.

The next day, I flew to Germany while my parents took a train there through the Swiss alps, stopping in Zurich to grab a bite and buy a genuine Swiss Army Knife.

Meanwhile, my big brother and his lady Ray were boarding their first international flight. 24 hours later, my whole family was in Stuttgart at Aunt Mary’s. News then came our way- Nat and Ray are engaged! So it looks like I'll be getting a new sister-in-law! Woo Hoo! And she knits warm things! Score!

The smells and sights of Stuttgart’s Weihnachtsmarkt really give Christmas this special charm that’s just non-replicable. A souvenir mug of Glühwein keeps you warm while you browse the many tiny stands. I got my first Curry Wurst in almost 4 years, which I was so excited about that I made everyone try it and realized I got very little to myself. No worries, I’ll get one of those lovely Lachsbrotchen – cured salmon on one of their wonderful crusty rolls that’s so soft on the inside. Germans really know how to bake.

I got to go to a Starbucks and have a real cup of coffee, which made me so happy until I realized I wasn’t feeling quite right, I couldn’t even make it through a small cup (which is 3 times the size of any coffee drinks in lovely Italia)… that night I realized that there was perhaps something fishy about my wonderful Salmon brotchen as a result, my stomach gave it and everything else I’d eaten that evening back to Aunt Mary’s toilets throughout the course of the night. The next few days, some of the best for eating, were full of tiny bites, no coffee or alcohol, and crackers and toast as my stomach and body recovered from a most violent bout of food poisoning.

Chrismas eve dinner was wonderful. We made a nice traditional ham dinner and shared Christmas memories. Aunt Mary’s two “adopted kids,” Mike and Rachel joined us for dinner and provided both wonderful company and comic relief (although no one ever makes me laugh harder than Nat!).

Amazing is the only word I ahve for Chirstmas morning. My grandma sent me packages with warm socks and my favorite herbal teas among other lovely things that made me feel old for getting excited about (Pens! A new sweater! Yippee, vitamins!). We had a relaxing day, which I needed desperately. I got to help a bit in dinner preparation of Sauerbraten and Kartoffelknodel. The whole day I kept looking around at my family who had all flown out to spend Christmas with me I knew I was blessed.

On Boxing Day, I shared some of my new home's culinary specialities with the family. I had brought the best meats, cheeses, fresh pasta, and regional wine along with a traditional dessert.

Saturday began a marathon of sight seeing with the assistance of a rental van- first we went to a small town on lake Constance and enjoyed a great lunch before touring an ancient castle with a climbable tower and a rather grim well used to hold prisoners that had life sentences.

We also got to experience “Kaffee und Kuchen.” The Brits can have their tea and crumpets, Germans do coffee and cake! Black forest cake all around helped us forget the frigid temperatures. I was sick of barely eating because of my illness so I stuffed the whole thing in my trap and decided I would deal with whatever came.

That evening we ate at a sweet little German restaurant down the street from Aunt Mary’s and celebrated Rae's 26th birthday. Our day had been exhaustive and she partied it up by falling asleep right after we got home!

The next morning we headed out to Munich and checked into Dad’s new favorite place to sleep- Hotel Daniel! We ventured into the town and spent the day seeing the sights, climbing towers, and playing with statues.

Finding a catfish statue, I knew there was no way to get out of what I was sure my dad would make me do… yep I saw that coming.

I was able to forget my trauma that evening thanks to the assistance of a giant mug of yummy Hofbrauhaus brew. And a pretzel bigger than my head. And singing drinking songs while toasting and listening to an oompah band. It's a 3 step program to recovery.

Fairytale castles dominated the next day as we toured Hohenschwangal and Neuschwanstein. It is truly exceptional to see how King Ludwig’s mind worked as you view his unfinished palace full of giant swans, faux caverns and abstract designs adorning every wall, ceiling and staircase. Bavaira was a balmy 12 degrees at the bottom of the mountain… to the top of which we rode in a horse-drawn carriage. After the tour, we hiked to the bottom in the dark and worked together to spot and dodge the gifts left by the aforementioned horses.

My wonderful, exceptional mother spent the two hour trip home rubbing my feet as to restore feeling. Having had only a light quick lunch in between tours, and a day full of walking, we were about to gnaw off our arms as we made our way into a crowded brewery near Aunt Mary’s for dinner that night. There I drank a Hefeweizen that reminded me why I don't drink beer in Italy. Afterwards, many of us had a mediocre apple strudel that was saved only by the wonderful mixed berry compote and vanilla sauce that garnished it.

On my family’s last day in wonderful Deutschland we had a lazy morning and then made our way to Hohenzollern Castle which is atop a mountain in Schleswig Holstein. We had to hike up a rather long route to reach the object of one of the best castle views I have ever seen. Nat and I braved the steep path directly to the palace while the rest took the less treacherous but longer road. The castle is still owned by a descendent of the Hohenzollern family, a 32 year old who lives in Bavaria. We ate lunch right beside the castle while we waited for our tour time. Mom and Dad had the most amazing soup full of different noodles, mushrooms, and meat dumplings.

For the tour, we were required to wear giant slippers over our shoes to protect the floor. It was dead sexy to say the least. This castle, which is relatively young being that it has been rebuilt twice, had a special room where we could see treasures that belonged to the Hohenzollerns, like china, a gown, a crown. It was a welcome change from the stoic suits of armor and intimidating weapons and torture devices that largely dominate the relic portion of castle tours.

Dinner that evening was at home and we relaxed with cocktails, a chicken and broccoli casserole and lots of good wine. Nat and I shared giggles and stories about our Grandma Kauffman’s house and all the fun things we used to think were so cool to play with like a typewriter, magnifying glass, and a wheelchair we found in the garage.

Nat and Rae had managed in the last 9 days to eat about every kind of Wurst and Schnitzel, while Rae had only learned one hard lesson about food… leberkase, while translating into English as “meatloaf” is anything but our American perception of the hamburger-based casserole (think Spam with extra liver goodness)…

Mom and Dad had tried great beer and wines and added 3 new countries to their growing list of European destinations.

We had all sampled our way through about every pastry offered in the bakery down the street and demolished a ridiculous amount of fine Belgian chocolates brought by Rachel who lives and works in Brussels. Most importantly, we had spent a great time adventuring together and reconnecting. I hope to do it again when I am in better health!

The next morning, December 31, we managed to get everyone to the airport and off to America. Afterwards, Aunt Mary and I tidied her home and made our way to a train which whisked us to Heidelberg where a New Year’s celebration with her two closest friends, Jan and Greg, was awaiting us. This friendly couple has a great home near the center of town. As midnight hit, fireworks exploded all over the city and the bridge on which we stood. Full size ones shot off three feet from us and kids threw firecrackers with reckless abandon. The entire sky was ablaze with these bright spectacles as the crowds downed champagne or whatever they had in hand. Busses had to brave streets overflowing with flaming novelties and jovial crowds. Afterwards, we had an interesting dinner and cheese course and our hostess even made donuts from scratch!

Heidelberg was hung over the next day. The weather was awful and even Starbucks was closed. We made our way through the tired city and then decided to go home and have junk food and watch movies. A pizza delivery completed our evening- not bad, but twas no Italian pie!

Over the next two days, I got to experience a German shopping mall and go on base to glimpse wonderful American food and products. The commissary reminded me exactly of a Wal Mart, which really charmed this girl who once in a while falls victim to nostalgia. I invented a game for us, Jengable, in which we combined Jenga and Scrabble. Bridget Jones provided the background for our game, which I won't say who won...wink.

Sunday, I flew back to beautiful Bologna while trying to forget as soon as possible the layover in Charles DeGaulle, which I have decided has to be one of Paris’s most shameful construction projects.

It took a few days, but I am back in the swing of things, finally! This week has flown by and I only have one more before the two week finals period begins! We're all getting together whenever possible while we have the chance before exam preparation and essay writing once again dominate our hours.

I wish you all a wonderful New Year! How fantastic to think that we'll get another year of celebrations, learning, and growing!

Among my resolutions: Write more, calm down a bit (perhaps a lot...), and, a gross one: floss more! Cheers to each of you and all the best!