Not even pictures...

...could do this place justice.

On food

Wow. Talk about being blown away. The food in Nepal is delicious. In fact, some of the best I've ever had.

Nepal is in a unique location nestled in the Himalayas between India and China (Tibet), making it a crossroads for Asian cuisine.

Pictured to the right are my new favorite, momo - a Newari specialty. Which are dumplings filled with your choice of meats or veggies. Even ordered as take out from a little hole in the wall around the corner they are amazing.

I've also had tons of perfectly spiced curry, peri peri chicken (which was officially the spiciest thing I've ever eaten in my life), simple ramen, and loads of sweet pastries.

I've always had to classify myself as a wannabe foodie. I've always wished I could be an adventurous eater, especially when travelling, but haven't had much luck because of allergies (the worst and hardest to avoid being tomato). But, Nepal has renewed my faith in being able to travel with my taste buds.

Looking forward to more culinary adventures, but sad my time here is winding down.

Kathmandu - First Impressions

Kathmandu is a crazy, polluted, and bustling city, but, I love it.

There is just something about this place. It is an absolute feast for the senses. The smells of the food, the colors in the fabric, even the chaos that comes on the streets - it just tempts you to come and explore.

Back in Rome...

...well, kind of.

After being back in Auburn for a quick 6 days I headed back to Rome for a quick 48 hours.

Tomorrow one of my best friends, plus her two sweet cats, Bob and Dante, are moving to Kathmandu, Nepal. She needed help, so I'm going along to help. We're heading to the airport and boarding a plane to Bangkok, Thailand (just a 12 hour flight...), then we will have a 4-5 hour layover, then board another plane for the 3 hour flight to Kathmandu. I'll be there for about a week, then will turn around and do the same flights in reverse. I'll have a 24 hour layover in Rome, pick up the last pieces of my luggage that we had to leave, then fly back to Atlanta. I'll be clocking around 60 hours of flight time in about 3 weeks...YIKES!

It is going to be an exhausting trip, but I'm so excited to explore a new part of the world and more importantly I'm excited to help my dear friend start this new chapter in her life!

Rome - A Love Story

Like all good love stories, my relationship with Rome has been full of really good fights, even better good moments, and memories I will carry with me my entire life.

For those who have visited Rome, you know it is a magical place. The history, the culture, the food - Italy just has a certain magnetic draw to it. For those who have lived here, you know that Rome can be a bit (well actually a lot) challenging. From the daily delays of the trains, to the Italian bureaucracy, to the odd opening and closing hours of stores. At some points I really didn't know if I could stand it anymore.

But, the truth is, I love Rome. I fell in love when I was here in 2009 for 4 months and I'm still in love as we are leaving after a year and a half.

Today is our last day in Rome. It is bittersweet and I'm not sure it has quite hit me yet. Tomorrow morning we board our plane back to the US, with all our luggage, plus our sweet puppy. New adventures await and la dolce vita will continue.

Ciao!

Neve a Roma

There is something truly magical about snow.

We woke up this morning to a beautiful winter wonderland in Rome. We had about 4 inches on our porch, and at the park there was about 6 inches. Rome, similar to the South, shuts down (including all the public transportation). Being a Mediterranean climate, it never (well, hardly ever) snows here.

We got all bundled up, including Libby, and headed out. Our goal was to walk through Villa Pamphili to the Gianicola, then down into Trastevere and across the river into the center to check out the snow-covered sites. We got to the park and the gate was locked. Of course, why would the biggest park in Rome be opened when there is snow? We kept walking down the side of the park and came to another gate. This one was locked as well, but people were sneaking through. We kept on walking, and finally came to a gate that was opened. We assumed it was fine to go in, so in we went.

Libby LOVED it. Since she is short, only about 5 inches off the ground, she was basically covered by the snow. But, she hopped her way all the way through the park. She had a blast, and even made some friends.

We walked ALL the way through the park and finally got to the other side, at the gate by the Gianicola, aaaaand it was locked. There was also an angry crowd on the other side trying to figure out how we had got in. We wondered why the park was so empty on that side, we just figured no one wanted to venture out too far into the snow. So, we turned around and walked all the way back to the gate we came in.

After 3 hours of playing and walking around we were all exhausted. So we headed back to the apartment to warm up and relax. Though we didn't make it to the center, we did have a fantastic time playing in the park!

Here are a few more pictures:

Breakfast of Champions, Roman-style

Cappuccino and a cornetto con crema. Yum.