Hotel Campanile Rivoli Turin

... and feeling as if I were about to burst, a homemade artichoke pie and goats cheese specific to the region made an appearance.
"Which do you want?" Carlo asks me.
"Both" I hear myself respond.
As I picked the final crumbs of the pie off my plate, and licked the soft cheese from my fingers, I could feel blood being shunted from every non vital operation (limbs, skin, brain) to my stomach. A shot of espresso, saved me from an imminent food coma, and gave me the requisite energy to ...

... br>Italy is best known for its wine. The Piedmont region is especially well known for its reds; Barollo, Dolcetto, and Barabesco. But as I've mentioned before; I have only a rudimentary understanding of wine. I sniff, I sip and I enjoy; but the subtleties are lost on me. I'm a beer drinker.

Drawn by the unique characteristics of the water, the Welf family set up Italy's first brewery in Torino in 1846. The beer of choice here is Menabrea; a blond ...

... of my cooking, thanking me everyday. As we talk now it feels as if we've known each other for ages.

After a coffee and a shower at his place it's time for dinner.
"What do you want to eat? Pizza?"
"Whatever's going"
We join his friend Tanya and go to eat the best pizza of the city.

It seems so simple, why can't we get it right back home? The crust is thin, but not too crispy, light and fluffy, but not doughy; topped with ...

... br>we were busy minding our own business when we saw a Giant Coq, looming menicingly above us!
After ignoring Doris yet again, ready to take on the Mountain for the first time, Rich at the helm with gay abondon, ignoring the acrid smell of burning rubber and hot brakes, Kev was strangely quiet in the back. as we edged our way towards Chamoinix for the promised night in a hotel room with its own bathroom!

... with the Germans begins. These kids were 16 to 17 (Casper, Freddy, Carlo, Anna and Hannah) and made this Amsterdam experience as good as it came out to be. The lively, hyper bunch, hailed from Berlin and collectively knew enough broken English to sustain conversation with the slowly dying Ross and Ben. My sunglasses had been perminently attached to my head for the whole day and I was starting to see things as I drifted off to sleep for micro-seconds at time ...

... the roof came off the car, the two guys had just returned from a 8 month trip in Australia. After a brief discussion they told me to get in. There was an instant connection between us, young guys, had travelled to the other side of the world, we shared many similarities. They offered me to stay in their house for the night which I accepted with much appreciation. We drove about another hour until we arrived to the house. A great day.

The ...

... on the way in. It was actually on the other side of the church from where we entered, but I'm glad that we went by the Duomo again because it was a really cool black and white mosaic that was being protected by a glass pyramid. We wandered through the Palazzo Reale and then meandered through the streets of Torino. We were half-heartedly searching for a market, unsuccessfully as it turned out, but ...

... therefore we have been able to carry on our trip to Italy. It took us nearly an hour from the French border before we had our first pizza and ice-cream. Right now we are visiting our dear friends in Torino. Mille grazie for all your hospitality!! Hauskaa Vappua! ps. If you want to be IN this season you MUST wear gold or silver shoes. ps2. Could someone tell Mama Ozwell that I've been living in the blue fleece and that John is running out of his X-mas sweets?!

... br>

We strolled and took some pictures with the palazzos. Those are good
photos of the three of us :) Then we went to a bar with many Asian
decorations. Lorenzo ordered some sweet white wine for us. It tasted
okay but it was extraordinarily expensive. Each little glass was 6 euros.
I paid for Lorenzo's since I promised at first. I ...

... course meal. I can't really remember it all, but it mainly consisted of the local cheese, polenta, deer (or Bambi as Mauro called it) and wine. It was really good. We even tried the local Grappa which tasted quite sweet and actually drinkable. We left (after our mandatory coffee) very satisfied. Actually, about coffee. I have now learn't to drink my espresso without milk and sugar. I feel like I have passed some sort of initiation and am now ...