Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sorry I suck at Bologging (But Parma is Awesome!)

So here we are. I'm here in Bologna. What? Nine months deep! wow. I still can't believe it. I miss California, and all of you... but I just don't want to go home!

We've been taking weekend/day trips recently... Today we went to Parma! And yes, as you might have guessed... the hometown of Parmesan!!!!!!!!! We went without much of a plan, no map, and very little research. On a whim, really!

We meandered towards center and saw a bike rental place. I feel that generally, these places are a bit of a rip off... but they charged only 70 cents per hour! What??? So we rented some bikes and cruised into Parma in style. There was a street market with so much fresh food and samples... cheese is awesome, by the way. Pecorino is especially good and comes from the south, and also in a plethora of flavors. Parmesan here is grated fresh to put (dump) on your pasta, but is also cut into hunks that you eat by themselves or with some balsamic vinegar. Yuummm.

After the street festival, we toured Parma by bike. The day was so mild, and I swear I could smell spring in the air!!! Parma was a nice break from Bologna, because comparatively, it is spacier, with wider streets and lighter, more renaissance architecture rather than medieval. I felt like I could breath a little easier. Maybe it was also the salt on the air....

Anyway. Next time you're in Italy, spend a day (or half a day!) in Parma. So beautiful!