ITALY!

So First stop: Verona, Italy

to visit my friend Mariachiara who I lived with for 5 months at Loppiano (near Florence).

Taking the train for almost 3 hours before arriving was quite interesting…meeting a Nigerian woman wearing a fancy wig, an Indian boy whose feet were so sore after traveling for 17 days and hated Gandhi but loved him for one reason (Gandhi is the one face of every bill), and lastly an Italian 50 year old man who went to Saudi Arabia to earn loads of money.

Money, money, money, earn more, have more, buy more. That’s what the world tells us, as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer…that is the current of society.

And the 2 days we spent in Verona, we visited a nice medieval city Borghetto.

We visited some sites in Verona: Arena of Verona and Romeo and Juliet (of course)… all the beauty and romance of that particular city…

o Romeo Romeo

Arena di Verona

Inside the Arena

And to save money, we decided to go home for lunch instead of eating out which would be always easier and more convenient …because the world tells us to follow what is best for US, individuals, to think of ourselves.

The next we enjoyed half the day at a Lake (Lago di Garda)

freeezing

And yes again, instead of eating out, we brought sandwiches costing us little but keeping our bellies satisfied.

And later in the day we rollerbladed to Mariachiara’s grandparent’s house(who own a farm of cows, chickens, fruits, vegetables), the sense of family was really felt as they treated like their own grandkids!

nonna nonno

soo pro

In the western society, where parents work endless hours and have barely time to eat one meal a day together, the sense of family is really lacking, and the respect for the elderly isn’t the same as other cultures such as Italy. Grandparents are taken care of as they live with their kids, or live close to their kids. In the evening, we went out to enjoy a unique Italian meal called “Tigella Bella,” 

with the Girelli sisters

with Mariachiara's friends

we place ham, prosciuto, different sauces, cheese inside!

It was an amazing scene on a Veronian night, with the sounds of the rushing waves of the river, the patios filled with people enjoying their meals outdoors.

But all that doesn’t really matter, for me, meeting people is what forms my travel experience.