Sorry for the layover

Hello everybody. I'm sorry for the layover. We lost the internet we are stealing from the person above us. We are supposed to be getting our own internet by friday. Let's see if that holds true.

Anyway, there is a lot that has gone on in the meantime, so if I forget some things, I'm sorry. In the last post, I posted some pictures of the center. That was on Sunday. On Monday, we met up with two of the other Italian players, Taka and Fillipo (Fillo), and ventured over to Parma. Parma is about 15 minutes away from Reggio.

After reading Playing for Pizza, a book about an American football player who plays in Parma (fictional), I had wanted to go see the city and compare it to as it was described in the book. Parma is a about twice the size of Reggio, but of equal or better beauty. It is a major city, with a lot of tourism, university students, and locals. The city is just as old, and full of shops, pubs, restaurants, and churches. When we first arrived, we walked into one of the few piazzas (squares) in the city. We then proceeded into one of the most famous tourist attractions, San Giovanni Evangelista. As we walked thru, I was amazed at the artistry of the church. From the marble floors to full painted ceilings, it was absolutely amazing. When I commented on its size, Taka and Fillo laughed, saying this was small compared to Rome. This is only the second Italian city I have been to, and it made St. Mary's look like high school cafeteria.

We then proceeded to walk the streets, admiring the cobblestone walkthroughs and extremely old buildings. The people were all dressed to impress, and the shops were all high end. All of the excitement of being in Parma made me hungry, so we stopped for lunch.

We sat down in one restaurant right along the main strip. I thought this was where we were going to eat, but I was told this was just for a light snack and drinks. Before lunch, they indulge in "happy hour" in order to get ready for the meal. It supposively increases the appetite. I find it amazing that as much as Italians eat, nobody is fat. I guess it has to do with the quality of the food. Nonetheless, we sat, had a "quick" drink with some chips, and then proceeded on to the next restaurant.

On our way (spoiler alert: this is not for the light hearted), they asked me if I had ever tried horse meat. Although I do hate horses, I have never had horse meat before nor did I think anybody ate it. I soon found out that horse meat is a very common antipasto. They blend it into a spread and put it on bread. I promised I would try it, but I'm not going to remind them. Anyway, we sat down, had some antipasto, lunch, and cafe. We sat for lunch for about 2 hours. Italians don't mess around when it comes to meals.

After lunch, we left Parma. I got back to my apartment and got ready to go work out at the field and practice. While at practice, Taka asked us if my roomates and I would like to join him and his family for some dinner. Taka's father, Franco, is a successful man who is also one of the sponsors of the team. He is a great man, full of insight and great stories. He is married to a Japanese woman, equally as nice and compelling. We gladly accepted.

Once we arrived, dinner was ready to go. This would be our second large meal of the day. It was a very interesting one, as Taka's mother had provided a traditional Japanese dish, and an Italian dish. Either way, the food was excellent. They speak English well, and we told stories throughout the night. When it was all said and done, we had laughed and talked until midnight. It was time to go and put to rest a great day.

They next day, Tuesday, was very laid back, not much to speak of. We did some errands such as grocery shopping and just laid low. We went to the field for practice at around six. After practice, my roommate Chris and I asked some of the guys if they would like to go to the pub for some food and drinks. They agreed and said to meet them at Taka's house.

We arrived at Taka's, got in one car, and drove through the countryside. It's amazing how quickly the change is from city to farm land. We arrived at the pub, and got out. According to the my teammates, this pub specialized in their pasta dishes. That's right, the pub is known for pasta dish's. We sat down, put our order in (they order for us), and wait. First, of course, the anitpasto. An assortment of biscuits topped with prosciutto, peppers, pizza, tomatos, etc. Then, the pasta dishes. I was ordered a pasta dish that was cooked in sparkling wine sauce, so of course my pasta was purple (in it was also sausage, purple sausage). At 11:30 pm, I was in a pub, drinking a beer, eating purple pasta. It doesn't get much better than that. And they weren't kidding about the pasta dish's, it was unreal.

After the main course, the desserts came out. After dessert, of course we needed cafe. After cafe, just some good laughes and great stories. We left at 1 am.

Hopefully the internet stays up and I am able to post everyday. Sorry for not getting pictures of Parma, but I forgot my camera. I'm sure I'll be back and I'll make sure I remember.

Until the next post, Ciao!